


Forever (or Something Like It)

by BiFelicia



Series: Hallmark [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Becoming A Hero, Budding Love, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Found Family Dynamics, Friendship, Growing Pains, Mystery, New Relationship, Robot Fights, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22143334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiFelicia/pseuds/BiFelicia
Summary: Kara smiles and crawls into bed, curling around her girlfriend’s smaller frame. Lena snuggles back into her and hums, warm and drowsy once again. “Still like me?”“Yes, in spite of you being intentionally annoying when I’m tired.”Kara buries her nose at the nape of Lena’s neck. “Good. Because I love you, and that’d be really awkward if you didn’t like me.”Lena snorts out a sleepy laugh. “I love you too, Kara.”Kara and Lena adjust to life in National City the best way they can- together. Meanwhile, Alex and Maggie's wedding is rapidly approaching and Alex is totally handling it. Totally.Oh, right, and the sky is, quite literally, falling.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Lucy Lane/James "Jimmy" Olsen
Series: Hallmark [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1264025
Comments: 421
Kudos: 658





	1. Chapter 1

Lena Luthor is running late.

This is an event in and of itself, as Lena is never running late. She’s precise, calculated, and makes perfect, efficient use of her time, always. She’s counted the number of steps, stoplights, buildings, and shrubs between her apartment and her office. She knows the exact time she has to get out of bed in order to complete her morning ablutions, and rises exactly 10 minutes before that, in order to get a jump start on her day. She’s always one of the first in and the very last out of her office.

Except, today, she’s been… delayed.

First by the fact that somehow, the power has gone out in her building, and she hadn’t noticed because she’d been very happily wrapped in the arms of her own personal Kryptonian heater. This wouldn’t be so unusual- she knows they’re still very much in the honeymoon phase, but this morning she woke up _shivering_ in her bed, alone. And her first thought is that Kara hopefully made it to the early morning lecture Lena doesn’t remember her having, and her second thought is that the _fucking_ power is out. There are specialty backup generators that are designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, underwater submersion, and several tons of pressure, but clearly something’s not right and just-

Goddammit.

So, because of this unexpected power outage, her phone never charged and died sometime in the night. Which means that her alarm had never gone off. Fortunately, she has a backup battery, but this fact doesn’t help her get out of bed on time.

The morning is made more irritating by the fact that she had to shower in the dark and drag a mirror out onto her balcony in order to apply her makeup (though, due to outside influence, she’s secretly begun thinking of it as her war paint). She’s nearly finished when she’s startled by a pigeon and promptly shoves the mirror off the ledge of her balcony and crashing down onto the one below- she makes a mental note to inform the building’s super about it and apologize to her neighbors later.

Lena heads into the kitchen, only to realize that in order to make it to her second meeting (she’s already missed the first, but fortunately Jess had handled it), she has to leave in five minutes, and therefore there is no time for coffee. Not that she could make coffee anyway, since there is no power.

She hurries down the short hallway (there are benefits to owning the top two floors of a building- namely no noisy neighbors) to the elevator, realizes that there’s _still no power_ , and, with a pitiful groan, takes to the stairs. Thirty-seven floors later, she emerges into the garage, only to be confronted with her driver looking apologetic as he strips out of his jacket and pops the trunk.

“Miss Luthor, I’m so sorry, but the car has a flat, and I have to fix it.”

“What do you mean, the car has a flat?”

Her driver shrugs ruefully. “I’m sorry, Miss Luthor, there’s a nail in it, I must’ve run over it on the way here. It’ll only take a few minutes to change, I promise.”

She closes her eyes and breathes deeply through her nose, knowing that this situation is truly no one’s fault, and she shouldn’t take it out on her poor driver who already looks ready to tear his hair out- clearly she’s not the only one having an off morning. “It’s fine, Frank. I’ll drive myself today, take your time with the tire- you wife will kill me if you throw out your back again,” she says, not unkindly.

Of course, driving herself requires the car keys she never uses, which are upstairs in her apartment. Because of course they are.

This is shaping up to be a fantastic day.

Lena takes those selfsame stairs until she’s back at her door, and she ducks inside. The keys are buried under random brick-a-brack –she resolves to speak to the _perpetrator_ of this crime later-, and finally her questing fingers find them in the bottom of a bowl (where they decidedly do _not_ belong). When she reemerges, she bumps into someone standing right outside her door, their hand raised to knock. She bounces off of their solid frame, stumbling a bit in her heels, but a strong, steady hand grabs her elbow, catching her.

“Gosh, _ehl_ , are you okay?”

The simple, familiar endearment is a balm to Lena’s piss-poor mood, soothing her just a bit. “I’m alright.”

Kara grins sheepishly at her. “I’m sorry, you look like you’re having a bad day, and you just smacked into me, which I’m sure felt _awesome_ , and here I was, trying to be sneaky-nice and get you breakfast, but instead I almost kill you-“

“You brought me breakfast?” Lena asks, latching onto that bit of information.

Kara smiles brightly and holds up a truly massive cup of coffee with a label in a language Lena doesn’t recognize and a white paper bag. “I did! I know you forget to eat, when you’re in a hurry, and breakfast is-“

“-the most important meal of the day,” Lena says with her, teasingly. “Thank you, darling.” She presses a kiss to the corner of Kara’s mouth with a smile as she takes the bag and coffee. Kara flushes a pretty pink and adjusts her glasses, and Lena really loves that what is essentially a kiss on the cheek still manages to have this effect on her girlfriend. _‘Especially considering some of the other things we get up to...’_

She reaches over and gently takes Lena’s briefcase from her before walking side-by-side to the elevator. “Oh, y’know, it was nothing. I stopped by your office to drop it off, but you weren’t there yet, so I was a little worried that you were sick, or something, so I thought I’d come, y’know, check on you. Besides, I got stuff for myself, too. I just already ate it. Shoot! I should’ve waited to eat with you! But I guess it’s okay, since you don’t have time to eat with me anyways.” She whirls to face Lena, looking stricken. “Not that I think you should feel bad! You shouldn’t! You’re a very important person with an important job and you need to do it, and I’m really proud of you.”

Truly, she is the sweetest. Lena believes this wholeheartedly. “Thank you, darling. I’m sorry I can’t stay, I have to get to the office, but I’ll see you tonight?”

Kara nods. “Yup! You, me, and your ridiculous pile of movies- honestly, Lena, how have you never watched Mean Girls?”

“I lived it instead,” Lena says wryly.

“You were a mean girl?”

Lena arches a teasing brow. “You’ve met my mother, right?”

Kara snorts. “That… is a very good point, actually.” She stares at the elevator for a moment, frowning as she presses the button to no avail. “Is this thing broken?”

“Kara, did you not realize that the power is out?” Lena asks, amused.

“No, I- but the lights are on!”

“Emergency lights. You,” she glances around before lowering her voice, “you didn’t _fly_ up here, did you?”

“Gosh, no, of course not, it’s daytime!” Kara snorts. “I always take the stairs at your place. It’s way faster than the elevator.”

“In that case, mind giving a girl a lift to her car?” Lena asks with a smile. “I’ve already made that hike twice this morning and I’m hoping to avoid a repeat performance.”

When they get to the garage and Lena strolls past an apologetic Frank, Kara’s confused. “Are you driving?”

“I am.”

“I’ll be sure to stay off the roads, then.”

Lena rolls her eyes fondly. “Like you’re one to talk. On that note, please stop decorating my house with cutesy… stuff.”

Kara grins. “You like that stuff.”

“I do, but not when I can’t find my keys.”

Kara’s brow furrows. “I didn’t move your keys.”

“Well, someone did.”

Kara just shrugs. “Alright, it was probably me, then. I’ll be more careful.” She bats her big blue eyes at Lena behind her glasses. “Think you can forgive me?”

Lena huffs out a laugh and kisses Kara soundly on the mouth before folding herself gracefully into the driver’s seat of her car. Kara hands Lena her briefcase and pecks her on the cheek before pulling away and closing the door with a smile.

“Love you, have a good day, be safe,” Kara says with a grin, stepping back from the car and waving.

“I love you too. Have a good day at school, and I’ll see you tonight,” Lena says, smiling Kara’s favorite crooked smile. She slides sunglasses over her face and drives off, watching Kara wave in the rearview mirror. She sips her truly excellent coffee with a smile. “I have the world’s best girlfriend. Where the hell is this coffee from?”

She decides to Google it later.

*********

Kara helps Frank change the tire quickly, and he thanks her before wiping his brow and shrugging back into his jacket. He grins at Kara- someone he’s quickly becoming familiar with- and jerks his head in the direction that Lena’s car had gone. “She’s somethin’ else, huh?”

“Yeah,” Kara says with what could be called a dopey grin. “Yeah, she is.”

When Kara had first started back at UCNC, she’d been rather horrified to discover that she was, in her very panicked opinion, the oldest undergrad student on campus. Everyone else just looked so _young_ , it was ridiculous.

 _(“They’re_ babies _, Lena! Babies!” Kara had said this after her first day on campus, flopping dramatically onto the couch in Lena’s loft._

_“Excuse you; I was younger than those babies! What does that make me?” Lena had laughed, shifting until she was straddling Kara’s hips._

_“Then? A fetus,” Kara had deadpanned. “Now? Still a baby.”_

_Lena slaps at her playfully. “You’re an ass. Why do I like you?”_

_“Because I always have snacks and I give_ very _good neck rubs and because I love you sooooo much?” Kara says, grinning and grabbing Lena’s hands before stretching up to give her a kiss.)_

So at least Lena gets it, she supposes, though this does little to soothe her pride when a teenager knows something she doesn’t. Literally-a-teenager had answered a question correctly in lecture after she got it wrong. It was _terrible_. Thank Rao she and Lena hadn’t gone to college together- it would’ve been a lesson in humility on the daily.

Right now, she’s in her Media Relations lecture, sitting in the front like the good student she’s trying very hard to be. It’s not always easy to do, between her job, her girlfriend (who is probably the single most understanding and supportive person on the planet), her friends (also, collectively the most understanding and supportive people), helping to plan her sister’s wedding in a month, and, of course, the fact that-

_Bzzz._

Kara rolls her eyes and ignores her buzzing phone. Everyone knows she’s at school, knows how important it is to her that she does well.

_Bzzz._

She’s glad Lena’s driver was nice enough to drop her off on his way to LuthorCorp, he saved her a lot of time on the bus.

_Bzzz._

Not that she _minds_ riding the bus, really. Sure, it’s always crowded and kinda smelly and there’s always one person who talks to themselves really loudly and makes everyone else vaguely uncomfortable (not Kara, obviously, she’s actually made friends with that person on the bus a few times. They always just want someone to listen), but the people watching is-

**_Bzzz._ **

-fantastic.

She smiles apologetically at her professor, grabbing her bag and exiting as quickly and quietly as she can. Once she’s in the hallway, she fishes her phone from her pocket.

Ms. Grant: Kiera, where are you?

Ms. Grant: Bring my coffee- the girl got it wrong. 

Ms. Grant: Again.

Ms. Grant: I fired her, but don’t worry.

Ms. Grant: I had her compile a list of potential replacements

Kara: You mean, for herself?

Kara: You made her find her own replacement?

Ms. Grant: Or yours, if you insist on asking obvious questions.

Ms. Grant: Yes, Kiera, for herself.

Ms. Grant: And so obviously I need you in early today, since I’m down an assistant.

Ms. Grant: Tick-tock.

Kara rolls her eyes and tucks her phone away. 

Honestly, this is... a lot. It'd be a lot even if she wasn't taking 'superhero lessons' (as dubbed by Winn and adopted by flipping _everyone_ ) with Clark. Ms. Grant is a handful.

She checks her watch- there’s really only five minutes of her lecture left, and she already has all the notes and the homework done. She bites her lip, considering, before deciding to just head to CatCo a bit early today. The hallways are deserted (perks of leaving early) and so she gets to the bus stop without too much trouble, huddling a bit in her jacket against the rain.

She can see the LuthorCorp building from here, and if she listens closely enough, she can make out the steady beating of Lena’s heart, which is always soothing. Especially considering how many times people have attempted to kill her. Lena’s office is unfortunately located on the opposite side of the building from Kara’s vantage point, so she can’t actually see her, but just hearing her breathe and move around her office, muttering to herself about ‘stupid old fuckers’ is enough to make her smile.

Kara: Such terrible language, Miss Luthor

Lena’s heartbeat speeds up, just a tick, before leveling back out. Kara can almost hear her roll her eyes, and can _definitely_ hear her mutter, _“You sneak, I’ll show you terrible language.”_

Kara laughs and her phone buzzes.

Lena: Hush, you.

Lena: Aren’t you supposed to be on the bus?

Kara: Running late, big surprise

Lena: I’ve no idea why you insist on riding the bus

Kara: It’s part of the experience!

Lena: It’s the worst, and you do have a car

Kara: I can’t afford to drive everywhere

Lena: You also have other means of transportation

Lena: ☁️😉☁️

Kara: 🤭🤫

Kara: You know I can’t do that

Kara: You, Alex, and Lucy would all line up to slap me on the head.

Kara: Besides, the bus is fine

Kara: Why do you hate the bus?

Lena: Unsavory people ride the bus

Kara: More than half of National City rides the bus, ehl.

Kara: Including me!

Lena: I stand by what I said.

Kara: Always have an answer for everything, don’t you?

Lena: I am a genius, you know

Kara rolls her eyes fondly and steps onto the bus, pleased to note that she’s only sorta damp and not completely soaked from the rain.

Lena: That coffee was perfect, by the way.

Lena: And that pastry wasn’t something I’ve tried before, though it was delicious

Lena: Where is it from?

Kara: Uhhhh

Kara: Out of town

Lena: …

Lena: Darling, where is the coffee from?

Kara: …

Kara: East?

Lena: Kara

Kara: Fine!

Kara: Harrar

Lena: Ethiopia?

Lena: KARA

Kara: Maybe

Kara: How do you know where Harrar is off the top of your head?

Kara: You’re ridiculous

Lena: You’re ridiculous

Lena: I used ‘the Google’

Lena: I love you

Lena: *heart emoji*

Kara: Love you too

Kara: 😊😊

Lena: Good. Now go get tortured by Cat Grant

Kara: Why do you have to ruin things?

********

“Kiera!” The shout rings out before Kara is even fully off the elevator.

Kara groans quietly, already holding. “Yes, Ms. Grant?”

“Your delivery is making me curious.”

Kara squints. “What delivery?” She walks toward her desk and freezes a few feet away. “Oh, wow.”

Huge, vibrant sunflowers in a sky-blue vase are sitting exactly in the center of her desk. They’re not, like, totally taking over the space, more brightening it, but they are definitely eye-catching. There’s a small envelope. Inside is a little note, with “ _Þú ert sólskinið mitt –L_ _”_ scrawled in elegant handwriting. Kara snorts.

 _‘Of_ course _she chose Icelandic…’_

“Speak, Kiera,” Cat says, studying her. “What does the gibberish card say?”

“Oh! Uh, it’s Icelandic. Which is where I’m from, so…”

Cat lifts a brow. “Are you? Mildly interesting. What does the card say?”

“It’s um, it’s words to a song? It’s kinda personal, so…”

Cat rolls her eyes, snatching her latte from Kara’s outstretched hand. “You millennials and your ridiculous idea that everyone cares about the minutiae of your love lives. Truly, social media has completely destroyed your generation’s tolerability.”

“Ms. Grant, you just asked-“

“Enough. Find a place for them and get back to work.”

“Yes, Ms. Grant.” Kara shuffles a few things around on her desk, smiling as she gives the vase of flowers a place of honor. She pulls the card from the greenery, before frowning. “Ms. Grant, did you try to read the card?”

“Of course I did,” Cat says, as though the answer should be obvious (which, Kara supposes, it should be, considering the whole ‘head of a multimillion-dollar media conglomerate’ thing). She sweeps imperiously into her office, letting the heavy glass door swing shut behind her.

Kara just stares after her for a moment before the intercom buzzing distracts her. “Yes, Miss Grant?”

_“Get to work, Kiera.”_

“Right. Yup, sorry.”

_“And get me a coffee from downstairs. You know the one I like, with the thing.”_

Kara looks into the office to see Cat staring at her and daintily chugging her current latte. She barely resists the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, Ms. Grant.” Kara shrugs out of her jacket, draping it over the back of her chair before heading back to the elevators. She waves at Winn as she walks by his desk, and James as she goes past his office, though he’s in some meeting with the designers so he probably didn’t see her. She shrugs and continues on her way.

She places Ms. Grant’s usual order at the coffee shop downstairs, smiling gratefully when the barista gives her a pity discount for showing up twice in ten minutes. The guy winks in solidarity. “Ms. Grant’s order will be right up, Kara. She got you doing legwork today?”

“Thanks, Benji. And yeah, almost every day. But that’s what assistants are for, right?”

He grins and nods, turning to fix the very unnecessarily complicated order.

“Hey, did you say you’re Cat Grant’s assistant?”

Kara turns, met by a woman right around her own age. “I am, yeah.”

“This is awkward- I think I have an interview for your job in like, 20 minutes…?”

“Oh. Oh! You’re- wow, she works fast. She told me she was looking someone to fill the, uh _available_ second assistant position, like, less than an hour ago.” Kara grins and sticks out her hand. “Sorry, hi, Kara Danvers.”

The other woman takes it with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Kara Danvers. I’m Siobhan Smythe.”

********

Lena’s day has improved significantly since she arrived at the office, however late she may have been. She’s powered through three meetings, several contracts that needed her attention, and a conference call with Sam Arias, her new CFO in Metropolis. Add to that the past hour spent in her own private lab, and the assurance from the power company that everything in her building was back online, and the day has certainly turned around.

She’s sketching out a design she’s been considering before her phone buzzes rapidly on the workbench. Lena smiles- there are only three people she knows capable of that much enthusiasm, though she admits that she _does_ have a favorite among them.

Kara: 🌻🌻🌻🌻

Kara: You’re the best

Kara: And a dork

Kara: The best dork

Kara: Thank you for the flowers. I think Ms. Grant is jealous

Lena: If Cat wants flowers, she’ll have to buy me dinner first

Lena: I am a lady, after all

Kara: 🤣🤣

Kara: *selfie of Kara smiling with sunflowers in her hair*

Kara: *photo of Winn in the same pose*

Lena: Love the hair

Lena: 😘

Kara: Love you, ehl

Kara: Oops she saw me texting gotta go

Lena: I love you

Kara: Love you, ehl

Lena smiles and sets her phone back down, knowing that there won’t be any more messages for a while. She’s just getting a good outline done when her phone buzzes once. Curious, she picks it up and beams at the message on the screen.

Kara: PS- you’re my sunshine, too

God, the way Lena’s heart swells at that should be embarrassing. Something so silly and sweet and soft shouldn’t make her feel so light and warm. But it’s not, and it does. Because it’s Kara.

Kara trips through entire paragraphs of words in her rush to get them out, and she trips over her own feet whenever they’re on the ground. She stops to pet every dog she sees, cries at commercials, and tricks Lena into endless movie nights when she should be working late. She somehow subsists on a diet of ice cream, pizza, potstickers, and candy, despises kale, sings along to every song that pops into her head- sings in her _sleep_ , sometimes…

And Lena loves her. Loves her so much it _aches_. But of course. Of course she does.

It’s Kara.

How could she do anything else?

********

Lena has a ritual when she gets home.

She takes her heels off first, followed by her coat, which she hangs in its place by the door. She curls her toes and stretches her feet against the rug before taking off her work clothes- today, a blazer, blouse, and skirt-, setting them aside to be taken to the cleaners later in the week. She gets her dinner together, pours herself a drink- either wine or scotch, depending on the day-, and settles down to read over reports while some mindless sitcom plays in the background. Once she’s done, she shuts off the TV and all the lights, triple checks all her locks, and goes to bed. Then she gets up and starts the next day over. She’s done this for well over a year- nearly two, now-, and it works for her.

Or it used to, anyways.

Because now, she gets nights like tonight, when she walks into her apartment to something soft playing on Kara’s little Bluetooth speaker, and Kara bouncing around in the kitchen, singing and dancing along as she pulls plates and glasses and even napkins out of various cupboards. And _god_ if it isn’t kind of stupid how much Lena loves that Kara already knows where everything is. There’s a pile of take-out containers on the countertop, and Lena suspects that approximately two of them, at best, will have any vegetables in them that aren’t either deep-fried or drowned in sauce, and it will take a ridiculous amount of coaxing to get Kara to eat them. Kara hasn’t noticed her presence just yet, which- ah, she has the red sun lamps on. Lena barely noticed, with the other lights on, but indeed, despite the curtains being rolled down and blocking out what was shaping up to be a beautiful sunset, there’s a distinctly reddish glow through the apartment.

Kara likes having the lamps on. She says they make her feel normal. Like she’s back on Krypton, without the superpowers. When she was Kara Zor-El, and nothing and no one else.

And well, who is Lena to deny her that? Right now, they only exist in her and Kara’s living rooms and bedrooms, but she’s working on making more.

She toes out of her heels quietly, takes off her coat, flexes her toes, and moves to snake her arms around Kara’s waist, resting her forehead between her girlfriend’s shoulder blades.

Kara starts, just a bit, before she relaxes, bringing her hands to rest over Lena’s on her stomach. “Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Lena squeezes her, just a little, before pressing a kiss against her back, knowing Kara will feel it through the threadbare t-shirt she’s wearing. And, judging by the fact that it’s riding up a few inches on Kara’s lean frame, it’s one of _Lena’s_ ratty college shirts she can’t bring herself to throw away. The thought warms her even further than the scene already had. “Hello, darling.”

“I got dinner, so go change so we can watch movies,” Kara says, turning in Lena’s arms and draping her own over her shoulders. She presses a kiss to Lena’s forehead. “Did your day get any better?”

“It did, actually, just now.”

Kara’s nose wrinkles as she laughs. “That was so cheesy, Lena.”

Lena shrugs, smiling. “I guess you bring it out in me. How was your day?”

“It was fine, class was sorta boring today. Ms. Grant fired her assistant.”

Lena arches a teasing brow. “Is this your way of telling me I’m officially dating my mother’s nightmare? A blonde, Democrat, unemployed alien?”

“No!” Kara laughs. “No, her _other_ assistant. She fired her. _Again_.”

“Really? You seem shocked.”

“I’m not, but I _am_ tired. I forgot how hard it is when I’m on my own. I did patrols through Hob’s Bay that were less stressful!”

“That sounds about right. Maybe I should do that, get an assistant for Jess... She’d love having another person to boss around besides just me.”

“Jess loves you, she’s not bossy,” Kara defends lightly.

Lena groans. “You only think that because you both became best friends the instant you met.”

“Well, when you work for a high-powered CEO of a Fortune 200 company, you gotta stick together.”

“Maybe, but I still maintain that the secret code was unnecessary.”

“Eh. Agree to disagree.”

Lena huffs out a laugh and just barely catches the last few bars of whatever song is playing. “What were you listening to?”

“Oh, Rao,” Kara laughs. She grabs her phone and flicks through her playlist. “It’d be easier if you asked what I _wasn’t_ listening to.”

Kara loves music, Lena’s learned. Loves it, and loves sharing it with Lena, who has less varied tastes. She keeps swearing up and down she’s going to make Lena a mix-tape of ‘absolutely necessary songs, Lena, Rao, did they keep you under a _rock_ at that boarding school, what the heck?’ So far, this has more taken the form of Kara trying to figure out Lena’s favorite songs by playing as many as Lena will listen to. Which is apparently many, _many_ songs.

Lena’s never denied being just a _little bit_ whipped.

“Ah-ha! It was a cover of ‘So Into You’ that Childish Gambino did.”

Lena’s brow furrows. “Who?”

“You know, what’s his name from that show Maggie and Winn like. Shoot, it’s about college, sorta, and-“

“ _Community_?”

“Yes! He’s on that show, and he does stand-up, and now he’s a rapper. I think he has another show now too…”

“This isn’t rap.”

“R&B, then. Besides, it’s a cover, so it doesn’t really count.”

Lena rolls her eyes fondly. “Whatever it is by whatever he’s called, I liked the last bit. Play it again?”

“Go change first, or you’ll be all crabby when you get to the couch with food in that skirt.”

Lena rolls her eyes again, but she knows Kara’s right, so she goes, untucking her shirt from her skirt and shucking them and her blazer, tossing them into the hamper by the bathroom. She washes the makeup off her face and considers taking her hair down before scrapping the idea- Kara loves any opportunity to play with her long hair, including taking it out of the rather severe styles Lena favors for work. She swiftly changes into leggings and her favorite hoodie- an oversized gray Metropolis PD one she’d stolen from Kara when she’d been staying with her family for Christmas. She often jokes that it’s the only way the MPD can claim all three living Luthors.

Kara never laughs, but Maggie always does, so at least Lena’s not _totally_ alone in finding her family situation ironically funny.

She emerges from her room to see that Kara’s settled in the living room. Lena eyes her plate in an obvious way, and Kara huffs and rolls her eyes skyward. “Yes, there are veggies on my plate, health-nut.”

And there are- rather a lot of them, actually-, which Lena finds pleasing enough that she ignores the fact that they’re doused in soy sauce. Baby steps.

She fixes her own plate and sits beside Kara on the couch, where a glass of wine is already waiting for her. “What are we watching tonight?”

“Hmmm… You like musicals, right?”

Lena shrugs, even though the answer is a resounding _yes_. Theater was one of the few forms of popular entertainment that had been deemed suitable for Lena and Lex by Lillian, so she has a lot of fond memories of seeing shows with her brother and father on Saturday afternoons. Musicals in particular hold a special place in her heart, as her father had loved them too. “I suppose so. Why?”

Kara grins. “Have you seen ‘Singin’ in the Rain?’”

Lena frowns, thinking about it, before shaking her head. “Not that I recall.”

“You’ve _gotta_ , it’s the best! It’s super funny and sweet and light, you’ll love it.” Kara’s bouncing in her seat, and Lena smiles at her antics.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Yay! We’ll watch one of Winn’s nerd movies next.”

Winn had compiled a list of sci-fi and fantasy movies that Lena needs to watch, though it’s smaller than all her other lists, since she _also_ has a soft spot for awful sci-fi movies with poor special effects and has accidentally watched several good ones as well.

“Sounds good. Oh, and thank you for dinner. And breakfast. Speaking of, where it _this_ from, Hong Kong?”

Kara rolls her eyes fondly, cuing up the movie (apparently Lena owns it- who knew?). “I’ll have you know, this feast is from National City’s own Dancing Dragon Chinese Restaurant.”

“Good. I don’t need you flying all over the world for every meal. Knowing you, you’ll hit a seagull over the Pacific and crash into the ocean and go all Jason Bourne on me.”

Kara grins. “Look at you, knowing movies! We’ll make a normal 23-year old of you yet, Lena Luthor.”

“God, I hope not,” Lena laughs. “I’m rather alright with not living at home or having roommates or ‘finding myself’ at Coachella.” She shudders for effect.

“Coachella _is_ terrible,” Kara agrees, shoveling food into her mouth from the serving platter she uses as a plate. “Roommates aren’t too bad- I mean, we probably wouldn’t have gotten together if we didn’t have to bunk in the same room for three weeks. Or at least, not as fast.”

Lena hums, not disagreeing. Their situation had been rather… unique. Most people don’t meet their significant other when they’re saved from a burning car in a blizzard, and they _definitely_ don’t accept an invitation to stay with their extended family for weeks on end only days later because their mother, as it turns out, was trying to kill them and make aliens as a whole look terrible in the process. And they _absolutely do not_ find out that their significant other is an alien themselves.

But, for two people who are, quite literally, star-crossed, she supposes normal was never really in the cards. “We probably would’ve really dragged it out.”

“Augh, _yes_. It’d be like Alex and Maggie all over again.”

Lena’s curious. “What’s their story? I never asked.”

Kara waves the question away. “Long story. Alex thought she was straight, many, _many_ months of mutual pining and not-mutual sexual confusion followed. It was ridiculous, and I had to be there for like, _all_ of it, because I was their excuse for hanging out together.”

Lena’s laughing into her wine at Kara’s apparent misery. “You poor thing.”

“The heart-eyes, Lena. You can’t possibly understand.”

“I’m sure I can imagine. After all, eye-fucking is an essential part of lesbian culture,” Lena agrees easily.

“Augh! No!” Kara screws up her face. “Why do you say such terrible things?”

“Because they’re true. Now start the movie.”

Lena’s giggling before the end of the opening scene. Kara grins, a little smug. “See? Told ya so.”

“Shh.”

Kara rolls her eyes fondly and refills Lena’s wine glass before taking both their plates into the kitchen and washing them at superhuman speed. When she looks toward the living room, she sees Lena laughing at the movie, looking and sounding very close to her actual age. Kara smiles again, less smug, more… happy. It’s always her goal, to get Lena to just… be 23, even just for a few hours watching a silly old movie and eating Chinese and drinking the cheap boxed wine she’ll never admit she keeps in the back of her fridge (Kara knows the truth, obviously, but she’s been sworn to secrecy).

“Do you want popcorn?” Kara calls softly.

“No, but if you make some for yourself, I’ll probably steal some.”

“Deal.”

_“Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuugggghhhhhhhhh!”_

Kara’s in hysterics. “That’s my favorite scene.”

Lena grins up at her from where her head is resting in Kara’s lap. “I noticed.”

“It’s a great scene! Now, turn back around so I can get the rest of these dang pins outta your hair. I swear, Lena, it’s like you put in extra ones just for fun.”

Lena snorts. “I assure you, I don’t.”

“Good, ‘cause that’d be dumb.” Kara scratches lightly over Lena’s scalp, massaging skin that she knows has to be tender from holding Lena’s long, thick hair in a perfect bun all day. “I love your hair,” she sighs.

“You’ve mentioned that.”

“Oh I have?”

Lena offers a one-shouldered shrug. “Once or twice.”

“Mm-hmm.” Kara pulls the final pins from Lena’s hair, adding them to the pile on the end table. Once there are none left, Kara begins playing with Lena’s hair in earnest, twisting it into loose braids, only to run her fingers through and destroy them before starting again. Lena hums quietly, and Kara knows that she’s not gonna stay awake much longer, that having her hair played with after a long day, dinner, and some wine knocks her out without fail. Which is why she does it, obviously. If there’s one person on earth who deserves to get a good amount of sleep, it’s her girlfriend.

Not long into the second movie, Lena falls asleep, despite the plethora of explosions available for her viewing pleasure. Kara snaps a quick photo and sends it to Winn.

Kara: Conked the heck out

Winn: Shes sleepn thru The 5th Element?

Winn: GD heathen

Kara chuckles, tucking the phone away and clicking the TV off. They’ll watch the movie next time. She shifts until Lena’s laying on the couch and not on her, and then scoops her up effortlessly.

Lena stirs, just a little, tucking her head under Kara’s chin as she moves quietly to Lena’s room. “Kara?”

“I’ve got you, _ehl_. You need to sleep in a bed, you’ve got work tomorrow. So do I, which means I should probably head home soon.”

“Stay?”

Kara smiles. “Well, if you insist…”

“I _do_ insist. Stay,” Lena says, words slurred a bit with sleep.

“Alright, I’ll stay. C’mon, brush your teeth, then bed.” Lena grumbles when Kara sets her down, and Kara just laughs as Lena noses at the hollow of her throat. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you want me to carry you the whole time?”

“The floor is cold.”

“You’re wearing wool socks.” Lena looks up at her and pouts, just a little bit. Just enough that Kara huffs and scoops her back up again, rolling her eyes fondly at the pleased, sleepy noise her girlfriend makes at this action. “One Kryptonian Sherpa, at your service. Rao, you’re spoiled.”

Lena chuckles and dutifully brushes her teeth from her position in Kara’s arms. “Thank you, darling. I love you.” Kara huffs a breath of cold air into her ear and she squeals. “I take it back, you’re the worst. Go away.”

Kara laughs, bouncing Lena slightly in her arms as she does. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” She plants an icy kiss on Lena’s neck that causes her to squirm in protest before brushing her own teeth (not that they actually decay or even get damaged, it’s just gross not to) and walking them back into Lena’s room. She drops Lena lightly onto the bed, which results in Lena swatting halfheartedly at her butt as she dodges away. “Still want me to go away?” Kara asks quietly with a knowing grin.

Lena huffs, knowing she’s lost this particular match. “Never. Get in here and warm me up.”

Kara smiles and crawls into bed, curling around her girlfriend’s smaller frame. Lena snuggles back into her and hums, warm and drowsy once again. “Still like me?”

“Yes, in spite of you being intentionally annoying when I’m tired.”

Kara buries her nose at the nape of Lena’s neck. “Good. Because I love you, and that’d be _really_ awkward if you didn’t like me.”

Lena snorts out a sleepy laugh. “I love you too, Kara. Sleep.”

They’re both almost asleep when a thought occurs to Lena. “You never played me that song.”

“ _Really_ , Lena? _Now_ you want me to play it?”

“I’ll forget it.”

“You literally have a perfect memory.” Lena pouts at her in the dark and Kara groans, giving in. “ _Fine_.”

“Thank you.”

“So, _so_ spoiled.” And to Lena’s surprise, instead of rolling away to grab her phone off the nightstand, Kara pulls her closer and starts singing softly, inches from her ear. _“With ev’ry passing moment, thoughts of you run through my head. I am slowly realizin’, I think you’re truly heaven-sent._

 _“I think you’re truly somethin’ special. Somethin’ my dreams are really made of. Let’s stay together, you and me, girl. There’s no one like you around.”_ Lena snuggles further back into Kara’s embrace. _“I really like what you’ve done to me. Can’t really explain it, but I’m so into you. I really like what you’ve done to me. I can’t really explain it, but I’m so into you…”_

Lena’s out cold before the second verse, a smile curling up at the corners of her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's heeeeere!!! I am SO excited to be back on this ride with all of you! 
> 
> Next chapter will feature more of the fam and more general shenaniganery, just wanted to start off with some soft, ya feel me?
> 
> (Also this posted without the last bit of the chapter at first so for those of you who caught it before I did I am SORRY)


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, somebody order eight fucking pizzas and the best friend ever?”

“Lucy!” Kara speeds to her friend, lifting the boxes out of her arms with one hand and pulling Lucy into a hug with the other. “I missed you.”

“It’s only been two weeks, Kara, that’s nothing,” Lucy laughs, wrapping her arms around her best friend.

“It’s not nothing! That’s 14 whole days! Way too long, Lucy.”

Lucy rolls her eyes fondly. “I’d think you were getting sick of me by now. I’m over here all the time, crashing your movie dates and dragging you out to the bar.”

“Never,” Kara tells her firmly, hugging her as tight as she dares. “Where have you been anyways?”

“I was on assignment in Peru.” Seeing Kara’s hopeful look, she rolls her eyes fondly. “You know I can’t tell you anything, Kara.”

Kara pouts, but quickly gives up the ruse in favor of another hug. “Well, I’m glad you’re back- Alex is driving me and Maggie crazy. I think it’s really hitting her that the wedding is in just a few weeks, so she’s kinda freaking out.”

“Like, how freaked are we talking, here? Because we’re going out there in like a week for some Maid of Honor stuff, so I need to know.”

Kara winces apologetically. “Uhhhh, I’d say a solid ‘month three of studying for the MCAT…’?”

“Augh, _fuck_.”

“Yeah, it’s… not good.”

“Yeah, well, whatever. You’re gonna have it worse- I only have to deal with Maggie’s crazy-”

Kara snorts. “That is not the light sentence you seem to think it is, Luce…”

“- _and_ you stupidly let me plan the bachelorette party.”

“Yeah, I- wow, that was probably a mistake.”

Lucy grins widely at her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It totally was. Where’s your girl tonight?”

“She and Winn are building… something, I don’t know. Then they’re going to the robot battles later-” At Lucy’s perplexed look, she clarifies, “Remember, he got her tickets for Christmas?”

“Oh, yeah. God, what _nerds_ ,” Lucy scoffs around a mouthful of pizza.

“Says the one who finished law school at 23,” Kara teases, knocking her hip lightly into Lucy as they make their way to the living room.

“Okay, I don’t need you calling me out when I’m making fun of people, Kara. You’re supposed to back me up. What sorta friend are you?”

Kara just laughs and drags her down to sit on the couch. “The best one.”

“I can’t argue with that. How’s everything going here? How’s school?”

“School is school,” Kara says, shrugging. “I’m surrounded by very young people all the time. I finally learned what ‘lit’ means.” Lucy laughs at this. “Classes aren’t too bad, except physics, but Lena’s been helping me with that, like, almost every day.”

Lucy smiles, none of the usual cheekiness to it. “She seems like she’s a good one, huh?”

“She _is_ a good one, Luce,” Kara says. She turns suddenly bashful. “I told her I love her a couple weeks ago.”

Lucy whoops before instantly quieting, pasting a serious look on her face. “And what did she say?”

Kara flushes, but a pleased smile works its way onto her face. “That she loves me, too.”

Now Lucy _really_ cheers, jumping up off the couch and doing some sort of complicated victory dance that seems to involve a lot of punching the air and slapping excitedly at Kara. “Hell yeah! I’m so happy for you saps, you’re so fuckin’ cute.”

Kara’s face turns very red, and she wallops Lucy with a pillow to cover how pleased she is. “We’re not _cute_.”

“Oh, you guys are goddamn adorable, I’m sorry to say. It’s truly sickening,” Lucy laughs, flopping onto the couch and putting her legs in Kara’s lap. At Kara’s continued pouting, Lucy nudges her until she gets her attention. “Seriously, you guys are super cute, and I’m really happy for you. You deserve someone to be sickening with.”

Kara finally cracks a smile. “Thanks. It’s been… it’s been really nice, y’know? Like just… I’m happy.”

Lucy smiles, all warmth and affection, and sits up a bit to shove at Kara’s shoulder. “Good.” She slugs Kara’s shoulder lightly. “Now how _dare_ you keep all these juicy bits of gossip from me? You guys love each other and no one tells me? I’m your best friend. Well, one of them, anyways. Oh, god, does _Schott_ know? Did he find out before me?”

Kara makes a big production of rubbing at her arm and wincing. “Sorry, Lucy.”

Lucy snorts. “No, you’re not. But I have decided to forgive you, because I am a wise and generous person. Now hand me a pizza, and turn on something with dumb people I can make fun of.”

Kara rolls her eyes, but complies nonetheless. It’s very hard to argue with Lucy Lane, after all.

********

“You’re going _down_ , Luthor!”

“In your dreams, Schott. Eat my shell!” A turtle shell streaks toward Winn’s Mario, sending him spinning off the road as Lena’s Princess Peach crosses the finish line. “Victory!”

Winn groans and flops backwards onto the couch. “God, I’d love to beat you just _once_ at this game.”

“I’ve got faster reflexes, old man,” she says with a grin, and he rolls his eyes.

“You’re literally, like, two years younger than me.”

“Which makes you old.”

“Hey, respect your elders,” he jokes. “I could be full of folksy, helpful wisdom.”

She laughs and leans back into the couch, arms crossed in challenge. “Oh, this I have to hear. Go ahead. _Dazzle_ me.”

He draws himself up importantly, smoothing the wrinkles in his t-shirt before declaring, “Eat your school, don’t do vegetables, and stay in drugs.”

She cackles, laughing until tears spring in her eyes. “Perfect.”

“I try. Beer?”

“Just a water, please.”

“You got it.”

They’re at Winn’s modest apartment, and Lena is rapidly discovering that she cares little for her sprawling loft and all the empty space in it she’s never quite been able to fill up when compared to her friends’ smaller homes.

Winn’s apartment is no less warm than Kara’s, but in a distinctly different way. While Kara’s place is all soft fabrics and exposed brick and streaming sunlight, Winn’s is a broken-in brown leather couch and cool grays and muted blues. There’s the sense that someone _lives_ here, between the shoes piled haphazardly by the door and the big scratch on the coffee table that he staunchly refuses to explain. Instead of books, the shelves are lined with movies and Blu-Ray box sets and obscure board games and models that Winn’s made over the years. There’s no dining room, but the bar stools at the counter in the kitchen work just fine for Winn, and the mix of metals and wood and leather gives the place character. It’s a man’s apartment, certainly, but it has touches that make it seem much less… dreary than the apartments of other male acquaintances Lena’s been to.

The hallway is covered in pictures- most of which Lena recognizes as having been taken by James Olsen. There are several of Winn and Kara, Winn and James, one with Lucy planting a kiss on Winn’s cheek while he makes a shocked face, one of Alex pulling him into a noogie and laughing, one of Clark, James, and Winn grinning, arms slung across each other’s shoulders. There are pictures of Kara, Clark, and Lois, grinning at the camera. One of Eliza with almost no hair, rolling her eyes and smiling fondly. A group photo of all of them from this past Christmas Eve, Lena herself seated between Kara and Winn, laughing at something Lucy had just said and wearing the sweaters Martha Kent made for them. A glossy photo of Lena, Winn, and Kara from an article about the LuthorCorp gala- they all looked fabulous that night and, _“Honestly, how dare your mom distract from how good we looked by trying to murder you?_

In summary, Lena likes this place. Though that could be partly due to the company.

Said company is currently digging around in his bedroom before emerging with a large box. “So, I know we have to leave in like an hour, but maybe we can start on the Falcon?”

It’d been her Christmakah gift to him; the huge LEGO Millennium Falcon set. He’d almost cried.

Her eager grin matches his. “Let’s do it.”

********

“So how’re you doing, being so far from home?” Lucy asks.

They’ve powered through six of the pizzas (Lucy managed an entire pie by herself) and are now sprawled head-to-foot on Kara’s couch, halfway to food comas as a rerun of _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_ plays in the background.

Kara shrugs. “It’s okay, I guess. I mean, I really miss Alex, and Maggie. And Eliza and Lois and Clark… It’s, it’s harder than I expected. Like, I keep waiting for Maggie to say something snarky, or I catch myself rolling my eyes and turning to look at Alex, or I hear something and I can picture Lois saying it… I’m glad all you guys are here, it’s a lot better with all of you.”

Lucy pats her knee comfortingly. “Ditto. It’s nice having you living so close again. I’ve missed you, dude.”

Kara smiles at her. “Well you already know that I missed you like, a _lot_ , so…”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the good one between us. By the way, please tell your girlfriend ‘fuck you’ for poaching my best field agent with all her fancy laboratories and health benefits and stupid amounts of money.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and _not_ do that,” Kara says with a laugh.

“Spoil-sport. You’re no fun anymore, Kara.”

Kara shoves Lucy’s feet, sending her tumbling to the ground. “Forgive me for not wanting to tick off my girlfriend.”

“I don’t know that I can. Besides, what’s she gonna do, rescind hand-holding privileges?”

“Actually, if I told her- _that_ , I’m pretty sure that I would have to have a very long conversation with her that would _not_ end in her being naked and would _probably_ end with me sleeping by myself.”

“What was that?”

Kara’s realized what she said, but realized it far, far too late. “Uh, sleeping by myself?”

“You guys are getting naked?”

“… maybe?”

“Oh my god you guys are _fucking_!” Lucy yells delightedly, springing into a sitting position and regarding Kara with an almost maniacal glee.

“She’s my girlfriend!” Kara defends, blushing furiously.

“Right, I know, you’re both gross and cute and in love- duh, we just talked about this. But you guys are like, having an actual sex life?”

“Rao, wh- do we _have to_ talk about this?”

“Yes. Obviously. So, how are you, like, pulling that off? Because last I checked, you tended to put holes through walls, and once had a full on panic attack because you had a bad dream about crushing someone’s head between your thighs.”

“It was _gross_ , Lucy! It was like a watermelon exploding!”

“First of all, that’s why you and Big Schott are banned from having Game of Thrones marathons right before bed. Second, you are the only person I know who actually has a legitimate chance of crushing watermelons between their thighs. Third, that’s _weirdly_ hot.”

“Lucy, knock it off,” Kara groans, blushing scarlet.

“So, how?” Lucy asks. Her expression suddenly shifts, hardens. “Is- it’s not kryptonite, is it? Because I swear to god, I will kick her a-”

“No! No, she made some lamps.”

“Lamps,” Lucy repeats dully. “Lamps that… make you horny?”

“Oh, shut up. No. They’re- augh, just c’mere, I’ll show you.” Kara stands, pulling Lucy to her feet and into Kara’s bedroom. Once there, she flips through the familiar sequence to close the blackout screens and fire up the red sun lamps. “See? They emit red sun radiation, like Rao did back home, so no superpowers. And _because_ no superpowers, no… _watermelon_ _incidents_.”

“Fascinating,” Lucy breathes. “Show me.”

“Lucy! I know we’re close, but I really don’t think-”

“Wha- No! Not like that, you dumbass, show me the no powers.”

Kara breathes a sigh of relief. “Right. So, here’s me, trying to fly.” She jumps slightly into the air, only to thud back down a brief moment later. “Heat vision.” She squints, but her eyes remain the same bright blue. “And super strength.” She wraps Lucy up in a hug and squeezes and though it’s tight, Lucy isn’t crushed even though she can feel the strain in Kara’s muscles. “See? No powers.” She shuts down the system and closes her eyes as the last vestiges of the sunset suffuse her with her usual thrum of energy.

“Hey, pick me up; I wanna look at these things.” Kara dutifully lifts her friend over her head and holds her as Lucy examines Lena’s work. Lucy nods thoughtfully for a moment, humming to herself, seemingly deep in thought, before bursting into laughter. “I dunno why I’m bothering to do this, honestly. I’m a fucking lawyer; I don’t know what _any_ of this shit is. Can I borrow one of these for the DEO?”

Kara coughs delicately. “Um, actually, I sorta need these ones in here, so… maybe ask Lena? I think she’s working on a new batch.”

“You goddamn extraterrestrial horndog,” Lucy says, rolling her eyes skyward. “Fine, I will ask your girlfriend to borrow some of your fancy sex-lamps.”

“Red sun lamps.” Kara sets her back on the floor.

“Right, sure. What do you use them for?”

Kara’s silence is all the confirmation Lucy needs.

“I thought so. Hey, so does this make your apartment the red light district?” Lucy giggles.

“Shut up, Lucy.”

“Aw, don’t pout!”

********

“No, no, that piece goes _here_ ,” Winn says, eyeing the instructions carefully.

“No, it’s one of the exterior pieces,” Lena says. “Look.”

“Huh. Never thought I’d see the day where you were so very _wrong_. Because nope, that is _definitely_ an interior brick, Luthor.”

Lena’s eyes narrow in challenge. “Prove it, Schott.”

Winn scoffs and whips out his phone. After a few determined minutes of searching, he grins triumphantly and holds the phone in front of her. “See? Same bag, same brick, goes outside.”

“Augh.”

Winn crosses his arms, smirking in triumph. “What was that?”

“ _Augh_.”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘you were right and I was wrong’ to me…”

“Shut up, Schott.”

********

“Luce?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m worried.” They’ve moved back into the living room, laying head to foot on Kara’s giant couch.

Lucy picks her head up so she can see Kara. “What about?”

“I dunno. I just have this… feeling.”

“A worried feeling.”

“Yeah.” 

“Well, is clairvoyance one of your superpowers?”

Kara rolls her eyes. “You know it isn’t.”

“And are your bad feelings usually right?”

“Sometimes? I dunno, not always, I just… I have a bad feeling, like something’s gonna happen.”

“Something bad?”

“Maybe?” Kara stares at the ceiling for a moment before shaking her head. “Never mind, I’m probably being weird, stress or something. Between school and work, and the Amnesty Bill is being voted on soon, and Lena’s mom’s trial is coming up, and she’s doing the relaunch thing… plus, oh my gosh, Alex’s dang _wedding_. That’s probably it, I’m just stressed and homesick, I bet.”

Lucy’s studying her, expression serious. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m- yeah, I’m good, I promise.”

Lucy’s frown deepens as she sits up fully. “Y’know, you’ve never been a really good liar, Kara. Especially not with me.”

Kara huffs. “I know. ‘s very annoying.”

“You get a crinkle, right _there_.” She pokes the spot between Kara’s brows.

_“I know.”_

Lucy sighs. “Look, I’ll… I’ll ask Clark to up patrols and stuff, keep my people on higher alert for a couple weeks. Make sure nothing’s fucked up on our end, just in case. Will that help?”

Kara worries at her lip before nodding. “It can’t hurt, right?”

“It can’t hurt at all. Plus, those assholes are getting lazy without Alex constantly being up their asses,” Lucy says, smiling. “Now, what else are you stressing about, besides your bad feeling?”

“Just… stuff.”

“Uh-huh. Well, you know you can talk to me or, y’know, any of us. But especially me. You _do_ know that, right?”

“Of course I do!”

“Good. Because you’re my best friend and my very favorite alien, and even though I’m an asshole, you can always talk to me about whatever.”

“I’m telling Clark you said that.”

Lucy scoffs. “Do it. He doesn’t scare me; he’s afraid of my sister.”

Kara snorts. “So am I.”

“Are you scared of _me_?” Lucy challenges.

“Terrified,” Kara tells her honestly.

Lucy considers this for a moment before nodding and flopping back onto the couch, satisfied. “Good. So what are you stressed about? Pass the Oreos.”

Kara hands over the cookies with only token resistance. “I- I dunno, I just… a lot’s changing, I guess, and everything seems to be happening so _fast_. And I’m doing these lessons with Kal, training and stuff, and I just feel like I’m like, _expected_ to do something, now. And it’s all I wanted to do for _so long_ , but I just… I feel a lot of pressure. And I know none of it is on purpose or anything, and I feel stupid for saying it-”

“Whoa, whoa, hey, take a breath. Okay, _first_ of all, please don’t let Clark train you, that boy can’t throw a proper punch to save his life.” She waits for Kara to snort a laugh before continuing. “Second, you know we love you, no matter what you decide about anything. You could quit CatCo and school tomorrow and become, like, a mime, or something, and we’d still love you just the same. More, even, ‘cause you’d be quieter.” She squeals and laughs when Kara slaps at her thigh.

“It just…” she sighs, staring up at the ceiling. “There’s so much going on, now. I feel like I just crash landed all over again. I mean better, obviously, because I have all of you and I like, _speak human languages, now_ , but still, it’s hard.”

Lucy pats her shin consolingly. “I get that, trust me. And change is hard- it’s supposed to be, yknow? But we’ve gotta roll with it. I mean, change brings a lot of good. Look at Maggie and Alex- they’re about to have an awesome change. They’ve been through a ton of changes together, and they’re stronger than ever. Look at all of us- the fam is as tight as we are because _we’ve_ changed together, smoothing out rough edges and fixing cracks and all that jazz. And hey, Lena’s a good change.”

Mention of her girlfriend causes a slightly dopey, besotted smile to spread across Kara’s face. “Yeah…”

“So yeah, stuff is changing, and it’s hard and scary. But we’re all here, okay? And we’ve all got you. _El Mayarah._ ”

“ _El Mayarah,”_ Kara echoes.

********

“This is _amazing_!” Lena yells over the noise of the crowd.

She and Winn are right on the edge of the battle arena, faces practically touching the glass. The robots Lena had been expecting were crude and homemade, but _these_ … these are _real_ battle robots, most standing taller than humans and equipped with all manner of complex weapons and sophisticated armor. So far, her favorite had been a blue one that stood about five feet high and was so short it was out of its opponent’s strike range. The smaller size allowed for more mobility and the movements were fluid and almost natural-looking.

The fact that it had a surprise flamethrower on its arm hadn’t hurt, either.

“I told you it was cool!” Winn shouts back, eyes not leaving the current fight. It’s between two massive, bulky bots whose designers seem more concerned with power than with agility. One winds up and hits the other so hard it puts a noticeable dent in the chest plate. “Holy _shit_ , that’s freaking titanium!” He tears his eyes away for a moment to grin at Lena. “Too bad you can’t bring your exo-suit; you’d _destroy_ these guys.”

Lena rolls her eyes and grins. “You haven’t even _seen_ the exo-suit, Winn, let alone me _in_ it.”

Winn shakes his head. “Don’t need too- I’ve seen you fight 18-foot tall aliens in heels and a ball gown. I’m sure you’re _much_ scarier in a robot suit that can rip through cars.”

 _“Winn!”_ Lena hisses, casting a nervous glance around and tugging the baseball cap she’d borrowed from Winn lower over her face. It’s a lame disguise, just a hat, jeans, her glasses, and a t-shirt, but it seems to be working so far. After all, who’d expect Lena Luthor- billionaire, heiress, CEO, genius, and philanthropist- to be at a robot fight?

He shrugs. “It’s not like they can hear me.”

“Let’s keep it that way.” She watches the fight for a few minutes before shaking her head in amazement. “I’m going to hire the one with the blue casing.”

“You’re what?”

“I’m going to hire them.”

“Pretty sure you can’t hire a robot, Lena.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “No, Winn, the people who _built_ the robot. They clearly know what they’re doing.”

“Oh! Yeah, that makes way more sense. I was kinda concerned for a minute there.”

“Thought I caught the Luthor crazy?”

“Oh, shut up. No, I just thought you caught ‘engineer-sees-new-shiny-thing-and-loses-their-shit’ crazy. Which, y’know, we’ve all done it.”

“True.” She winces as the robot with the green casing’s ‘head’ is removed from its body. “Jesus fuck.”

“Brutal!” Winn yells as oil and hydraulic fluid splashes against the glass in front of them.

The robot crumples immediately, and a team starts clearing out the arena for the next fight. While that’s happening center-stage, a few clusters of teenagers are ushered out with their own bots, being heralded as the next generation of professional fighters. Lena squints at one before her eyes widen. “I know her!”

“What? Which one?”

Lena points, grinning excitedly. “She’s one of the Luthor Foundation’s scholars at the polytechnic high school. I remember talking to her at the awards ceremony last spring. She didn’t mention bot fighting, though.”

“Yeah, not _exactly_ the classiest pastime if you wanna impress the snobs giving you money, Lena,” Winn snorts.

“I’m not a snob.”

“Lena, name _one_ not designer-label thing you’re wearing while being super casual and incognito.”

“I- this hat.”

“That’s _my_ hat,” Winn points out.

“Fine! Not all rich people are snobs, though.”

“So it’s just you?”

She shoves at him lightly, rolling her eyes when he laughs at his own joke. “Shut up, Schott.”

After the fights are over, Lena does indeed approach the designers of the blue robot (‘Neptune Rising’) she’d mentioned before, giving them her card and just generally shocking the hell out of them. She and Winn also congratulate Xiomara, the girl Lena recognized from earlier, on her own narrow win.

“That was amazing! Why didn’t you mention this in your essay?” Lena asks, grinning broadly.

The girl looks more than slightly star-struck. “You read my essay?”

“Of course! I read all the finalists’ essays- it’s a blind read, obviously, but I remember you from the ceremony. We talked about your research for a few minutes, right?”

Winn is trying his very hardest not to laugh at this poor girl who has been ambushed by someone who is clearly her hero while _also_ visibly trying not to hyperventilate.

“Oh, uh, I didn’t- it didn’t seem, like, essay-worthy, I guess. It felt like it should be more formal than ‘ _boom! I fight with robots, give me money,’_ y’know?”

Winn snickers, shooting Lena a pointed look which she ignores completely. “Well, next time don’t worry about that, Xiomara. So, tell me all about this- what sort of joint mechanisms are you using?”

“Call me Xo, I always feel like my mom’s yelling at me when people use my full name. So, I stared with servos, but-”

This conversation goes on for quite some time, and Winn chimes in every now and then with suggestions of his own.

Xiomara looks him up and down, seeming mildly impressed, before turning to Lena. “Who _is_ this?”

“Oh! Sorry, my bad, I probably seem like a total weirdo. Hi, Winn Schott,” he says, extending his hand and smiling when she shakes it. “I’m an engineer, but I mostly do software stuff right now. Although, Lena _did_ help me make a drone that flies and plays music over Christmas, which we then used to annoy all our friends and loved ones.”

The girl studies him. “Is he your boyfriend?”

Winn and Lena bark out twin startled laughs. _“What?” “No!”_

“Oh. Alright, I just remember seeing him with you at a party a few weeks ago on, like, the other side of the country, so…”

“I’m not her type,” Winn says, slinging an arm across Lena’s shoulders. “Sadly, we both prefer tall blondes.” Lena elbows him in the ribs.

Understanding dawns on the girl’s face as she turns to face him more fully. “Oh, got it, Mr. Schott. You’re gay.”

“Uh-“

“Or bi, or whatever,” the girl says with a shrug. “It’s 2019, nobody cares.”

On Xiomara’s other side, Lena is turning a very interesting color, torn between amusement, horror, and, well, more amusement. Because there is _definitely_ a gay person in this equation who _does_ prefer tall blondes, but that person is _definitely_ not Winn.

He seems to take this all in stride. “Y’know what, you’re right. It _is_ 2019\. Nobody _does_ care. And more dudes should be bi. Right, Xo?”

She nods decisively. “Damn straight. Whoops! Sorry, Miss Luthor.”

“First of all, solid pun. ‘Damn straight.’ Nice. ” He bumps knuckles with her and grins. “Second, trust me, dude, she is _not_ gonna get on you about swearing,” he snorts.

“Shut up, Schott.”

“See? She’s secretly very mean to her best friends.”

“You’re her best friend?” Xiomara seems very skeptical of this.

“I know, right? I’m totally out of her league,” Winn says, fluffing up his hair.

“Uh-huh. Hey, what were you guys doing here, anyways?”

“Watching the fights,” Winn says. “Duh.”

“But- why?” The teen seems genuinely baffled.

“Because it’s awesome.”

“It’s a good place to find new talent,” Lena agrees. “Are you applying for the summer internship program at LuthorCorp?”

Xo’s shy again, now that Lena’s asking about her and not her robot. “Oh, uh, maybe? I was thinking about it, but I’m not 100% sure yet.”

“You should. I interned there every summer from 14 until I was 20.”

“And now she’s the CEO!” Winn says.

Lena snorts. “I’m pretty sure that had more to do with good-old-fashioned nepotism than it had to do with my internship, but it’s a good program, regardless. You should apply.”

“Alright, I will. Thanks, Miss Luthor. Y’know, you’re pretty cool.”

Lena beams. “Thank you.”

“You’re cool too, Mr. Schott.”

“Thanks, Xo. The key is that I try _really_ hard.”

She laughs and glances quickly over her shoulder. “I gotta go, my cousins are waiting for me, but it was nice talking to you both!” she smiles, accepts their high fives, and scurries off to three tall boys with a strong resemblance to her.

“See? So fun!” Winn enthuses. “You even managed to collect more nerds _and_ solidify a teenage girl’s soon-to-be lifelong crush on you.”

“Wh- I did not!”

“Oh, puh-lease, you’re not that oblivious. You are 100% her celebrity crush. And hero, or mentor, or something.”

“I’m barely a celebrity,” she chides. “Let alone someone’s celebrity crush.”

“Tell that to your disguise,” he says, slapping the brim of her hat so it slides down her face. She scowls and shoves at him, but he leans in closer regardless. “I know you’re _Kara’s_ celebrity crush.”

Lena flushes pink. “Shut up, Schott.”

He laughs all the way out to the car.

********

Lena: I’m going to kill Winn

Kara: I’ll miss him

Kara: He’s had a good run

Lena: Good, glad you’re on-board

Kara: I feel like if I wasn’t I’d be in trouble, so…

Lena: Darling, you’re never in trouble with me

Kara: 😘💕💓💗💖💘

Lena: Are you coming over tonight?

Kara: I wish.

Kara: Lucy came over to talk about wedding stuff, remember?

Kara: And now she’s asleep and I’d feel bad for leaving

Kara: Plus, she’d never let us hear the end of it

Lena: You’re right, she wouldn’t

Lena: Ever

Lena: And it would be terribly rude

Kara: Super rude

Kara: The rudest

Lena: Indeed it would

Kara: Yeah

Lena:…

Kara:…

Kara: So like 20 minutes?

Lena: Make it 10

********

Lucy: Wtf

Kara: ?

Lucy: Where r u?

Kara: …

Kara: Uhhh….

Lucy: Kara, I swear to your god

Lucy: Imma kick your perfect Kryptonian ass

Lucy: You’re at Lena’s, aren’t you?

Kara: Maybe?

Kara: Okay yes

Kara: Also, Lena says stop talking about my butt

Lucy: 😈😈😈

Kara: Lucy, no

Lucy: Ode to Kara’s Bubble Butt…

Lucy: Shall I compare thee to a basketball?

Lucy: So nice & firm & round…

Kara: LUCY

Lucy: Slightly too large for my hands, so small 

Lucy: But still so fun to make it bounce

Kara: LUCY, I SWEAR TO RAO

Lucy: Oh, come the fuck on, that even RHYMED

********

At Lena’s apartment across the city, Kara’s buried herself under blankets and pillows, and Lena’s fallen off the bed, laughing so hard she’s quite honestly afraid she’s going to break a rib or pull a muscle.

“I hate our friends!” Kara yells from her burrow.

“It _does_ rhyme!” Lena wheezes from the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next, wedding stuff! Intrigue! Pasta!


	3. Chapter 3

”Kiera!”

Kara flinches as she moves toward her desk. “Ms. Grant, I am so, _so_ sorry for being late, I missed the- hi, Siobhan- bus and then I just-”

“I don’t care why. What I _do_ care about is the lack of caffeine on my desk this morning. Get in here; I’m not going to lose my voice on you when I’m interviewing that _abominable_ real estate tycoon from New York later. If I’m going to yell myself hoarse it will be at someone worthy of that distinction.” Kara enters the office, closing the door at Cat’s pointed look. Cat, for her part, just heaves a very put upon sigh and tilts her head back, seemingly searching the heavens for answers. “I make accommodations for you that I’ve never made for any assistant, ever.”

“I know that, and I-”

“Furthermore, I rehired you in the first place after you left with barely any notice five years ago.”

“W-well, I mean it was two weeks, but-“

“I understand that this is an adjustment, Kiera. However, that is _not_ my problem to deal with, nor should it be. Are we clear?”

“Yes! Yup, very, _very_ clear, Miss Grant,” Kara agrees, nodding vigorously.

“Spectacular. Now, I need you to do me a favor and set up a gift basket for an old… I suppose an acquaintance of mine.”

“Absolutely.” Kara pulls a pen from her hair and a pad of paper from her pocket. “Who is it for, and what’s the occasion?”

“The occasion is ‘none of your business,’ and the recipient is Lena Luthor.”

Kara’s pen snaps, and ink starts bleeding over her hands. “Oh golly, what a mess! I’m so sorry, pens these days, they ah, they don’t make ‘em like they used to, huh?”

“Evidently not,” Cats says, tone disinterested but eyes calculating.

“Right! So, Lena Luthor. She’s the CEO of LuthorCorp, right?”

“Oh, very well observed. Did you learn this type of deductive reasoning as a police officer? My, how safe Metropolis must have been,” Cat says drily. “Yes, she is the CEO of LuthorCorp and is relaunching her entire empire in a month. As the reigning queen of National City, it is my duty to welcome a fellow woman to the fold. Lord knows it’s been a sausage fest for far too long.”

“But didn’t- hasn’t Miss Luthor been here for like, a while?”

“What part of ‘none of your business’ is the difficult part for you?”

Kara huffs quietly. “Right, sorry.”

“Indeed. For the basket, figure it out. Something you millennials like- can you gift wrap misanthropy?”

“Uh, I don’t- no, probably?”

“Shame. Hazelnuts, then.”

“Oh, actually, she’s allergic to-” Kara coughs, cutting herself off and adjusting her glasses. “I mean, maybe something less… nutty?”

Cat waves dismissively. “That might be for the best. Your generation is littered with allergies. At any other point in history, you’d all be wiped out. Do as you see fit, Kiera. I trust I don’t have to babysit you?”

“Not at all, Ms. Grant.”

“Fantastic. Out.”

“Yup! Yup, just, going- going now.” She lets the door fall shut behind her and breathes a heavy sigh of relief. “Hey, Siobhan, thanks for covering for me.” She shoots her new coworker a friendly grin. “I owe ya one.”

“You do, and I’m going to collect. Who’s the cute nerd you always hang out with?”

“The who-now?”

Siobhan leans in, grinning conspiratorially. “You know, IT guy? Wears bow ties and cardigans? Shot you with a nerf gun yesterday?”

“Oh! That’s Winn. Winn Schott. He’s a software engineer here.”

“And you know him pretty well?”

Kara snorts at that. “Well, I mean, he spends Christmas with my family every year, so…”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you guys were a thing.”

“What? No! Oh, no.” Kara shakes her head frantically. “No, not at all. I have a girlfriend, but even if I didn’t, Winn is like, my brother.”

“Oh! Weird, but good news for me. Introduce us, and we’ll call it even?”

“Deal. He’s a really great guy, you’ll-”

“Kara, I already like him. You don’t need to talk him up,” Siobhan says, smirking. “Go do whatever weird thing Her Highness told you to.”

“Right. Thanks again!”

“What are second assistants for?” Siobhan asks with a wink. “Have fun. Grab me a latte.”

“Can do. Be back in a few hours.”

********

_“Miss Luthor, there’s a delivery for you.”_

Lena’s brow furrows in suspicion. She’s not expecting anything. “Has it been cleared by security?”

_“Yes, Miss Luthor.”_

“Very well, send it in.”

The door to her office opens, and a huge basket is carried in, the only visible parts of the delivery person being their hands and legs. “Where would you like it, Miss?”

“Over on the coffee table will be fine,” Lena says.

The basket is lugged over and settled on the table, but before the courier can stand up, Lena is behind her with a wide grin.

“Did you think, for even a _second_ , that I wouldn’t recognize your voice, Kara?” she asks. “And honestly, if that hadn’t been enough of a clue, I would recognize _this_ anywhere.”

A firm slap to a khaki-clad butt punctuates this statement, and causes Kara to almost jump out of her skin. “Eep!” She whirls on her smirking girlfriend, playing at offense. “Why Miss Luthor, I am shocked- _shocked_ , I tell you- at this behavior!”

“Oh, are you?” Lena’s smile spreads, slow and predatory.

“I am. I’m here on official CatCo business, and here you are, sexually harassing innocent delivery girls!”

“Alright, first of all, you are _hardly_ innocent, or did you forget about what we did last ni-“

“ _Anyways_ ,” Kara interrupts hurriedly, ignoring Lena’s laughter, “this is for you, courtesy of Ms. Grant. I was told it wasn’t my business why, but there’s a card.”

Lena scans the contents briefly, grinning at her favorite truffles and a _very_ expensive bottle of her favorite wine. “From Cat Grant, you say?”

“Yup!”

“You didn’t happen to pick what went _in_ the gift basket, did you?” She drapes her arms over Kara’s shoulders with a knowing smile. A smile that grows when Kara’s arms circle her waist automatically.

“As a matter of fact, I did. She wanted to put hazelnuts in it!” Kara says, indignant.

“I’m certain she didn’t know about my allergy, darling,” Lena soothes, running hands up and down Kara’s arms. “Most people don’t, it isn’t public information, after all.”

“Fine. But still. So I, uh, sorta took the liberty of getting you stuff you’d _actually_ like,” Kara says sheepishly. “Oh, Rao, do you think she’ll be mad?”

“I doubt she’ll notice. I’ll have to invite her to lunch one of these days, it’ll be nice to catch up.”

“I always forget you know each other.”

“I’ve known _of_ Cat Grant since I was very young, but I met her when I was right around 12. She’s a powerhouse of a woman. I think she may have been my first crush, truth be told,” Lena muses.

“I can’t really blame you there,” Kara says with a grin. “So, I was wondering if you’d possibly, maybe wanna go see a movie tonight? I know you’re super busy with the rebranding in a few weeks and getting Eliza and Alex’s department up and running, but I just thought it’d be nice to get out a little. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love staying in, too. I love hanging out with you anywhere, really, but I promised movies and we haven’t gone yet. But like, if you can’t or you’re too busy it’s no big deal, we can just do takeout and Netflix. Or nothing! If you wanna be by yourself that’s cool! I don’t wanna like, crowd you if you ever need space. Hey, tell me if you ever do, okay? Because…”

Lena smiles softly as Kara continues to ramble. It’s one of her favorite things, this over-earnest little quirk. She’s not used to so much honesty, and with Kara it always seems to bubble to the surface at the slightest provocation. Sure, she could interrupt her, but Lena so enjoys the insight into Kara’s stream of consciousness that she rarely does.

When the endless stream of words finally slows to a trickle, Lena leans forward and presses a soft kiss to Kara’s lips. “In answer to your original question, yes. A movie sounds lovely. Let me know what time.”

Kara beams. “7:30? There’s a showing of-“

“Surprise me,” Lena laughs. “Do you have time for lunch, or do you have to get back?”

Kara sighs, biting her lip. “I was already late; she’ll kill me if I take lunch today. I actually oughtta be getting back.”

“Understood. Well, since I rather like you being alive and whole, I suppose I’ll see you later.”

“You will,” Kara confirms. “7:30, don’t forget. I’ll have Jess remind you.”

Lena smiles. “You’re my favorite.”

Kara darts forward, kissing Lena chastely. “Love you.”

“I love you too, darling. Now shoo, before Cat has a conniption fit.”

“Yikes, yup, see ya later!”

She hurries from the room, and nearly as soon as she’s out the door, Jess is walking through it. “Kara Danvers, again?”

Lena clears her throat, avoiding the knowing eyes of her assistant. “Yes, she was making a delivery for Cat Grant.”

“And she told me to remind you to be done by seven so you aren’t late?” Jess drawls. Lena can _hear_ her smug smile. “What are you worried about being late for, Miss Luthor? I don’t see anything on your agenda…”

“Jess, please,” Lena whines, sinking into the plush chair behind her desk. “Let it go.”

“I was merely wondering if you wanted to make any accommodations for Officer Danvers.”

“She’s retired,” Lena says automatically.

“Right. I liked that shade of lipstick she was wearing when she left. It looks a lot like yours-”

Lena snorts. “Fine, yes, we’re… _involved_. We have been for several weeks.”

Jess snorts. “I knew _that_.” Lena whips her head around to look at her, and Jess rolls her eyes. “Miss Luthor, no offense, but I have _eyes_.”

Lena groans. “Great. So much for keeping a low profile.”

“No one who doesn’t spend much time with you would suspect, Miss Luthor,” Jess hastens to assure her. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t-”

“No, no, I’m the one who told you to be less formal. And I know we’re not the most subtle,” Lena says wryly. “I’ll figure something out, regarding going public. When Kara’s ready, of course.”

“Very good. Let me know, and I’ll get in touch with PR beforehand, get something arranged,”

“Thank you, Jess. That would be very helpful. And please tell security that Kara Danvers doesn’t need to go through a full inspection every time she comes to see me. And make a note that she’s to be shown into my office as soon as possible whenever she’s here.”

Jess nods and moves toward the door. When she reaches it, she pauses. “Miss Luthor, may I say something?”

Lena nods, curious. “Go ahead.”

“I just… the two of you are a cute couple. And I can see how much happier you are, since Christmas. I- I’m happy for both of you.” And with that, Jess ducks out, closing the door behind herself.

Lena lets herself slump into the comfort of her chair, turning to face the wall of windows behind her. A small smile works its way across her face. She’d just come out to her assistant, and it’d been… easy. Normal. An overall pleasant experience, albeit one she’d been dreading for years. But Jess knows her better than anyone, possibly better than she knows herself, and if it’d been such a small thing to someone so deeply entrenched in Lena’s life, then maybe…

Lena shakes these musings away, returning her attention to her ever-increasing unread email.

After all, she has a date at 7:30, and she has no intention of being late.

********

_“Director Lane, you called?”_

Lucy rolls her eyes. “Alex, we’ve known each other for 15 years, and you don’t work for me anymore.”

_“Right, sorry, force of habit. What’s up, Luce?”_

“Well, first I wanted to congratulate you and Mamma Danvers on the new gig. Oh, and I have that list you asked for.”

_“Great! Thanks, you’re a life-saver.”_

“Anytime. How’s everything going with LuthorCorp?”

_“Oh, y’know, fine. Weird not doing any field work, but it’s pretty nice having a normal schedule. And the labs are just… I have no words. There must be $15 million worth of equipment down here, and more is arriving every day. I didn’t even know some of this shit was available to civilians. I’m gonna have to ask Lena how she got it…”_

“So you’re having a blast?”

 _“Time of my life,”_ Alex laughs _. “How’re things out there? How’s Kara doing? I know she says she’s doing great, but I just… I worry about her.”_

“You miss her, huh?” Lucy’s sympathetic. “If it makes you feel any better, she misses you guys too. But I think she’s alright. She and Luthor hang out a lot.”

_“And how’s Lena doing?”_

“Aw, look at you, adopting all the little gays,” Lucy teases. Alex blows a raspberry into the phone, and she laughs. “She’s good. Working less than she used to; I think your sister is giving her a reason to leave work at a normal time these days. And we’ve gone to get drinks a couple times, and she’s still very much Lena, just with, y’know, fancier clothes. She and Big Schott are becoming _terrifyingly_ close, which reminds me, I need to set up some emergency parameters for when those two idiots blow something up.”

_“Probably a good idea. They’re both a little reckless.”_

Lucy snorts loudly. “Like you have _any_ fuckin’ room to talk, Danvers. Or did you forget about the time you blew up half the DEO’s skyscraper at three in the morning? We had to use the dessert base for like, a year while the repairs were made.”

_“Okay, look, I have already apologized and filled out so much paperwork for that… incident.”_

“$20 million in damages.”

_“Well…”_

“I had to drive out to the Mojave for _months_. Do you even _know_ what that sorta heat does to curly hair, Danvers?”

_“Makes it prettier…?”_

“Not even a little. Anyways, as a bridesmaid, I’m told it’s my job to see if you need help with anything for the wedding. It’s in, what, four weeks?”

_“Aw, so sweet.”_

“Yeah, yeah, don’t tell anyone, I need several thousand agents and employees to fear me on an instinctual level. Speaking of, I think Luthor figured out a solution to our Super training problem. We might finally be able to show Superdork how to throw a proper punch.”

_“What do you mean?”_

“So Lena made these lamps or light bulbs or something that like, imitate red-sun radiation and knock out Kara’s powers. Honestly, I dunno how the fuck they work. Like, I’m a _lawyer_. Why am I in charge of all this alien bullshit? Anyways, she gave me a couple, and I think they’d be perfect for close-quarter combat training, since we’d actually be on level-footing with her and Clark, so-”

_“Whoa whoa whoa, hang on, these things knock out Kara’s powers? Isn’t that dangerous? And what the fuck does she need to be doing that for, anyways?”_

“Alex…”

_“No, I mean it. What is she doing?”_

“Alex…”

_“Seriously, there’s no good reason to shut down Kara’s powers-”_

“Alex, it’s for sex.”

_“I- what?”_

“The lamps. Are for. Sex.” Silence greets this statement. “Yeah, so like, no more kryptonite incidents, or, y’know, broken noses. Or exploding heads.”

_“Oh god.”_

“Alex, don’t overreact-”

 _“Oh my_ god _.”_

“Danvers-“

 _“She’s_ fucking _my_ sister _.”_

“Well, based upon educated guesses, they’re probably actually fucking _each other_ , so-”

Alex lets out a strangled scream and hangs up.

Lucy rolls her eyes. “God, the Danvers sisters are so _fucking_ dramatic.” She punches Alex’s contact photo and waits while the phone rings.

Alex answers it with a snarl. _“_ What _, Lucy? What do you want?”_

“So, are you _not_ gonna see how this thing works for me? Because like, grow the hell up, man. Tell me how she managed to make your sister humanly fuckable. And also there’s… science, I guess.”

_“Of course I’m still going to, you asshole, but let me be traumatized for a few minutes first. Damn. I ask for so little.”_

“You ask for a _lot_ , Danvers.”

_“I ask for a reasonable amount.”_

“Sure, Jan.”

_“Shut up, Lucy. And yeah, send me the specs and I’ll look them over until I get the actual lamps or bulbs or whatever.”_

“Thanks, dude. I was trying to think of the person least likely to use this information for ill or fuckery, and, well, you’re literally it.”

_“Aw. Weirdly sweet.”_

“Yeah. Plus, you’re a consultant for the DEO _and_ a LuthorCorp employee. Do you _know_ how much fuckin’ paperwork this saves me?”

_“There it is. See you this weekend?”_

“Well, someone’s gotta throw a bachelorette party. Still lame that you guys are doing a joint one…”

_“Deal with it. Are you at least gonna give me a hint about what we’re doing?”_

“Nope!”

_“Y’know I love you, Luce, but sometimes… sometimes I wanna kill you.”_

“Love you too, bye! Don’t think about the sex lamps!”

 _“Lucy, I swear to_ god.”

********

Lena turns several shades of red when she reads a text from Alex.

Alex: Luthor, I swear to god, if you knock up my little sister I’ll kill you

This is confusing for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are Kara being an alien and _both of them being female_.

Lena: I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that that’s not a risk…

She’s still attempting to figure out what exactly is going on when a text from Maggie comes in.

If anything, Maggie makes the entire experience far weirder and more uncomfortable.

Maggie: Hey, Little Luthor, I need you to settle a bet for me.

Already regretting responding to this at all, Lena quickly types up a message.

Lena: What bet, Maggie?

Maggie: So you and Little Danvers are bangin’

Maggie: We all know

Maggie: Congrats, btw

Maggie: So who’s the top?

Maggie: Because my money’s on you

Lena sets her phone down, blinks several times, and then re-reads the messages.

 _‘Nope, I read it right the first time. There was no comprehension error; Kara’s family is just_ insane _.’_

Lena: Just

Lena: Maggie, why?

Maggie: People wanna know!

Lena: People or you?

Maggie: Answer the damn question, Luthor

Lena: No

Maggie: Oh, so you ARE the bottom

Lena: Seriously, Sawyer?

Maggie: It’s nothing to be ashamed of

Maggie: Alex is a bottom

Maggie: Not a lazy one, but def a bottom

Lena: I just-

Lena: How do I end up having conversations like this whenever we talk?

Lena: I am a CEO, for a well-known company

Lena: I’m helping to develop several medical breakthroughs

Lena: I built a working robotic exoskeleton

Lena: Why can’t we talk about that instead of my sex life?

Maggie: Because your sex life with an alien junior superhero is more interesting

Maggie: And also, because I have like $120 on the answer

Lena: I hate you

Maggie: I know

Maggie: Who’s the top?

Lena: Maggie

Maggie: Yeah, we already established that I’m the top

Maggie: We’re talking about you right now

Maggie: Stay on track

Lena: …

Maggie: Little Luthor, you know for a fact I’m not gonna stop asking

Maggie: LD and I used to talk about this shit all the time

Lena: I doubt it

Maggie: Ask her if you don’t believe me

Lena does exactly that.

Lena: Kara, I have a strange question

Kara: Shoot, sweetheart

Kara: What’s up?

Lena: Maggie is asking… invasive questions

Kara: Oh Rao

Kara: It’s sex stuff, right?

Lena: Yes

Kara: It always is with her

Kara: I dunno how she functions with that 1 track mind

Kara: Honestly, if you’re okay telling her, go for it

Kara: Because she will get, just, SUPER annoying

Kara: Trust me

Lena: Seriously? You don’t care?

Lena: I thought you’d be really private about sex

Kara: 🤷‍♀️

Kara: Maggie and I were partners for like forever

Kara: I promise we’ve talked about weirder stuff

Kara: Including sex stuff

Kara: Sometimes against my will, but still

Lena: Alright, but we’re going to discuss this ‘weirder stuff’ later

Kara: Even the sex stuff?

Lena: ESPECIALLY the sex stuff

Lena: 😘😘😘

Kara: Well *that* thought will get me through this day

Kara: Hey, by the way, why is Alex telling me that if I knock you up she’ll kill me?

Kara: Like, I’m not a Xenobiologist, but like

Kara: I’m pretty sure I can’t do that

Lena: Just ‘pretty sure’?!

Kara: Hey, we live in weird times

Kara: I’m literally ‘NOT FROM AROUND HERE’

Kara: Logically, none of this should be happening

Kara: And I don’t know how or why that *could* happen

Kara: But the minute I say it won’t, it will

Kara: So yeah, pretty sure

Lena: NOT comforting 

Kara: Sorry

Kara: So, why is Alex threatening to kill me?

Lena: I’m sure it’s a long story

Lena: But I’m oddly touched…?

Kara: I’ll tell Alex you said thanks? lol

Kara: Shoot, Siobhan screwed something up, I gotta go

Kara: I love you! See you tonight!

Lena: I love you, too

She smiles and, with a sigh, switches back over to her conversation with Maggie, where she has a message already waiting.

Maggie: She said it was cool, didn’t she?

Lena: Yes. Shut up

Lena: Fine

Lena: Neither of us is always the top

Maggie: Well yeah

Maggie: Duh

Maggie: But who usually is?

Lena: I hate this conversation 

Lena: ...Kara

Maggie: GODDAMMIT 

Maggie: I owe like, everyone $20

Maggie: How dare you

Maggie: You Littles are the fucking worst

Lena rolls her eyes.

Lena: Yes

Lena: I’m filled with remorse

Lena: Woe is me

Maggie: You're filled with SOMETHING, but I doubt it's remorse

Maggie:🤣😉🤣😉🤣😉

Lena: ....

Maggie: Love you too! See you in a few days!

Maggie: BACHELORETTE PARTY WEEKEND

Lena: Bye, Maggie

Maggie: You gotta say you love me

Lena: Seriously?

Maggie: Yes, seriously

Maggie: I’m a cop

Maggie: In one of the most dangerous cities in the world

Maggie: I could die any time

Maggie: Any day could be my last

Maggie: I could be dying RIGHT NOW

Maggie: DYING, Luthor

Maggie: And you’d have to live with the knowledge that you never said you love me

Maggie: Like a little bitch baby

Lena: Oh my god

Lena: Alright

Lena: Love you, Maggie

Maggie: You fucking sap

Maggie: You act all tough

Maggie: And then you say shit like that

Maggie: God

Maggie: Fuckin’ GAY

Lena: I take it back

Lena: As it turns out, I actually hate you

Maggie: Love you too, kid

Maggie: I’ll keep Alex from flying out there to kill you

Lena: Much obliged, Sawyer

********

“Siobhan, what did you _do_?!”

“I don’t know! My computer was acting weird so I had your cute nerd working on it, and Ms. Grant needed something so I logged into yours, and somehow-“

“You _wiped_ my _hard-drive_.”

“I swear, I didn’t do _anything_ that should result in… well, _that_.”

Kara’s just staring listlessly at the screen. All the contacts, dates, files… she’ll have to either re-download them from the cloud drive, re-enter them, or flat-out redo them completely. “I just… how?”

“I am _so_ sorry. Look, I’ll help you fix it, maybe Winn can get it all back?”

Winn pokes his head out from under Kara’s desk, shaking his head. “Yeah, that’s a no-go, chickie. Whatever you did, you were _hella_ thorough. I’d be impressed if it wasn’t, y’know, terrible.”

“Oh my _god_ , Ms. Grant is totally gonna fire me,” Siobhan groans, sinking into the chair behind her desk. “I really need this job, and now…”

Kara sighs, rubbing her temples in an attempt to stay calm. “She’s not going to fire you, because she’s not going to find out, alright? The three of us can get this thing back to normal by morning, and no one will ever be the wiser. Right?”

“Right. Cool. Tonight, staying all night at work. Awesome.”

“C’mon, please? I have class at like nine am, and I need help,” Kara begs. “Please, Winn?”

He holds out for approximately half of a second. “Yeah, alright. You always knew it was a yes anyways. Lemme go grab my chair- this is gonna take a while.”

“Thank you, Winn. Siobhan, pull up all of Ms. Grant’s contacts I sent you and start putting them on a flash-drive.”

“Can do.”

Kara’s settling into the rhythm of frantic typing when her phone buzzes.

Lena: Are we still on for tonight?

Kara hates herself for it, but she bites her lip and fires off a text.

Kara: I am so sorry, but there’s kinda an emergency

Kara: We can go tomorrow?

Lena: Of course we can, it just might need to be a later show

Lena: What’s the emergency?

Lena: Anything I need to be concerned about? 

Kara: Siobhan kinda sorta wiped my hard drive

Kara: By accident, but like, Winn can’t even get my stuff back

Kara: So now we have to go through and redo a bunch of stuff

Kara: Which is probably gonna take, like, all night

Lena: Oh my god, that must be a huge pain

Lena: I’m so sorry

Lena: Is there anything I can do to help?

Kara: No, thanks though

Kara: I just… how did she even DO this??

Lena: Is it your laptop?

Kara: Work computer

Lena: Hmm. I was just going to have you bring it here for me to look at

Lena: But that won’t work with a desktop

Lena: Have Winn text me

Lena: I have some proprietary software in development that might help

Kara: Rao, you’d be a lifesaver

Kara: And I’m really sorry about our date

Lena: Darling, if anyone understands work emergencies, I do

Lena: Don’t apologize

Lena: I’ll see you tomorrow?

Kara: Yes you will

Kara: I love you. Go home and get some sleep

Lena: You’re not the boss of me

Lena:😘😘

Lena: But I probably will soon. It was a long day

Kara: Do you need to talk about it?

Lena: No, focus on your computer

Lena: Just a lot of meetings and such

Lena: I love you, too

Kara:💕💓💗💖

Lena:💘💝💖💗💓💞💕💟❤🧡💛💚💙💜😘😘😘😘😘

Kara: Well now you're just showing off...

Kara grins a bit dopily at her phone before sighing and tucking it away. “Winn, your fellow nerd requests that you text her to explain what happened. She has something that might help.”

“Ah, rock star to the rescue,” Winn says with a smile.

“Fellow nerd?” Siobhan asks from her desk. “Rock star?”

Winn is unprepared. “Oh, Kara’s, uh, um-”

“My girlfriend.” Kara interrupts smoothly. “She’s pretty smart; she thinks she might be able to help.”

Pretty smart is, of course, a _massive_ underestimation when it comes to Lena Luthor, but they’re not going public with their relationship anytime soon (a mutual decision- Kara enjoys her anonymity, and Lena hates how much of her life is _already_ public), so understating her girlfriend’s intimidating levels of intelligence will have to do for now.

“Right. Well, hopefully this doesn’t take too long; I don’t wanna waste the whole night.”

Kara barely resists the urge to tell Siobhan that this whole mess is her fault in the first place. “Yeah, hopefully not.”

At around 10:30, when everyone but the three of them and security has left, the ding of the elevator is understandably startling. A young-ish guy with a man-bun and huge, bulky headphones wanders over to them, several boxes and bags stacked in his arms.

Kara’s brow furrows, shoulders squaring as she steps in front of Winn and Siobhan. “Hey, hi, are you- can we _help_ you?”

“Um, I have an order for ‘Kara Darling’?”

A grin breaks across Kara’s face. “Um... I guess that’d be me?"

“Awesome! So, like, I usually am _not_ supposed to make a bunch of stops for just one order- the company doesn’t like it, y’know?-, but like, that tip was _nuts_ , bro. I had to do it. Whoever 'L' is is just, s _uper_ obsessed with you, bro. I'm kinda jealous."

“Yeah, she's pretty awesome. Thanks!” Kara agrees with a dopey grin, taking the stack from him and waiting for Winn to shift some things around on the desk to set everything down. “Did you need me to sign anything?”

“Nope, all set. Have a good one dude, lady dudes.” He throws them a lazy salute and meanders back to the elevator.

Winn has wheeled his way over, and when Kara starts opening boxes, he moans. “Oh my god. Kara, I’m sorry, but I think I have to marry her.”

“Absolutely not, Winn.” Kara digs into her favorite pizza from her favorite place over on Maple. “Find your own girlfriend.”

“I’m _trying_.”

“Your girlfriend sent all this?” Siobhan asks, looking impressed.

“I’m about 99% sure, yeah- here, grab a plate, get some food,” Kara says, handing her a paper plate.

“Good girlfriend,” Siobhan observes quietly, dishing herself some lo mein and a slice of pizza.

“The best,” Kara beams.

“Where’d you find her, anyways?”

“Oh, I, uh…”

“Kara pulled her from a burning car after she hit a tree in a blizzard,” Winn says, grinning impishly at her. “Total romcom shenanigans across the board with these two, trust me.”

Siobhan’s eyes widen, and she looks Kara up and down, obviously taking in the khaki slacks, polka-dot button down, and knobby-knit cardigan she’d been given by Martha a few years ago. “You… you pulled someone out of a burning car?”

“I mean, it was- the car wasn’t really _burning_ , exactly. More like… smoking.”

Siobhan is still staring.

“Kara was a cop in Metropolis,” Winn says, proud of his bestie. “She’s actually kind of a hero.”

“I- I am _not_ , Winn,” Kara mutters, shoving at him half-heartedly.

Siobhan has gone a bit pale. “You were a cop?”

“Yup. Five years in Metropolis.”

“Huh. I, uh, I didn’t know that.”

"Dude, you oughtta see all her medals and stuff. She was like supercop, trust me," Winn says, flashing a grin at Kara. 

Siobhan’s heart starts beating a bit erratically, and Kara’s brow furrows. Before she can question it, though, her cell vibrates in her pocket.

Lena: Did you get it?

Lena: The app says it was delivered, but

Kara: Yes. Thank you

Kara: I seriously love you so much

Kara: You are the best girlfriend of all time

Kara: I’m getting you a banner or a sash or something

Lena: Hahaha

Lena: No need. Can’t have my favorite person getting hangry

Lena: 😘

Kara: Thank you, sweetheart

Kara: And seriously, you get an award

Lena: I don’t need an award, darling

Kara: Too bad

Kara: You get one anyways

Kara: Maybe a tiara?

Lena: I don’t think so

Lena: I don’t have the head for a crown, I’m afraid

Kara: Pfft.

Kara: You could wear a garbage bag for a dress

Kara: And a paper sack over your face

Kara: And you’d still be the most beautiful person in any room

Lena: You’re wrong, but very, very sweet

Lena: Love you. Get back to work

Kara: Yes, ma’am!

Kara: Love you

Kara: 💓

********

The next day, when Lena walks into her office, there’s a box smack in the middle of her desk. Curious, she lifts the tag free of the ribbon and has to fight off a smile.

_‘You get an award, whether you want one or not. See you tonight! –K’_

Inside, wrapped carefully in bubble-wrap, is a white mug with ‘World’s Best Girlfriend’ written in large, looping gold script.

“Ridiculous,” she mutters.

She pours her coffee into it, anyways.

Jess wisely decides not to mention it. Even though it’s cute.


	4. Chapter 4

“Mom, have you seen the- oh, duh, there it is. Never mind!”

Eliza laughs from somewhere nearby. “That entire sentence brought back so many memories just now.”

Alex chuckles, weaving her way through the boxes until she’s standing beside her mother. “Yeah, I bet. Only thing missing was me yelling at Kara for taking my stuff when she had not, in fact, taken my stuff.”

Eliza chuckles, knocking her shoulder gently into Alex’s. “So, what’s left on your end for the day?”

Alex studies her clipboard. “Well, I need to get my sequencer set up, and I have to figure out how to make it compatible with the rest of the equipment- but that’s like, a week of work or more, so I’m just gonna do set up today. Then… dinner? Maggie’s picking me up; we can all go out to eat?”

Eliza smiles warmly, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Sounds great. It’s been a couple weeks since I saw Maggie.”

“I promise you, nothing’s changed,” Alex says dryly.

“How’s all the wedding stuff going? I wish you’d let me help with more…”

“It’s alright, I think... We’re pretty much done with the stuff the binder says we need to do, at this point. Hey, are you sure you don’t want to come this weekend?”

Eliza cocks an eyebrow. “Do I want to come to my daughter’s bachelorette party? A party planned- largely unsupervised- by Lucy Lane?”

“… Okay yeah, when you say it like that…” Alex grins as Eliza laughs, Her new work phone chimes from her coat pocket, and she digs it out. “This is Dr. Alex Danvers.”

 _“Well well, Dr. Danvers, don’t you sound official?”_ a familiar voice drawls.

She relaxes. Lena. “Hey.”

_“How’s everything going?”_

“Well, I’m pretty sure if you send us any more awesome equipment, the US government is gonna seize the lab,” Alex says. “Seriously, how did you _get_ all of this?”

_“That’s for me to know, but I assure you it was all completely legal. Mostly.”_

“What do you mean ‘mostly’, Luthor?”

“Is that Lena?” Eliza asks, perking up. When Alex nods, she grins. “Tell her I say hello.”

“Mom says hi.”

_“Hello, Eliza.”_

“She says hi back,” Alex informs her mother.

“Oh! I have something I want to give her, but it’s a bit delicate for the mail, so tell her I want to see her before you all go jetting off to god knows where. Actually, maybe if I-”

“Mom, how about you call her later and talk to her then?” Alex laughs. Returning her attention to the phone, she can hear Lena chuckling faintly. “Sorry. What’d you need, boss?”

_“Just checking in, seeing if you need anything.”_

“Not even at all. We’re probably the most well-equipped and stocked lab in the world.”

_“Excellent! So I know the wedding is coming up, but how are we looking on hiring and getting things operational?”_

“Hmm. Well, I have a list that I’m gonna start going through, of doctors that I met at my, uh, _last job_. We’re hopefully gonna start interviews in about two weeks.”

“We should be up and running by May!” Eliza adds.

_“Perfect! That’s what I like to hear. If you need anything, don’t hesitate.”_

“When have you ever known us to not ask for what we want, Luthor?” Alex laughs.

 _“Fair point. Alright, I have to go- investor’s meeting,_ ugh _.”_

“Good luck, kiddo. Knock ‘em dead.”

_“Always do. Talk to you soon.”_

“Bye, Lena!”

Another chuckle. _“Bye, Eliza.”_

The line goes dead, and Alex tucks the phone back into her lab coat. “Alright, where were we?”

Maggie comes by to pick them up at six on the dot, and they climb into Alex’s (extremely scary) SUV. “So, what do you want to eat, Mom?”

“I’d love some Italian, actually.”

“We can swing by _Chiara_ , hang with Gio,” Maggie says. “He’s always a good time, and it’s only a little out of the way.”

“Oh, that does sound good,” Eliza says. “I’ve never been there, but Kara says he makes the best-“

“-everything? Yeah, we know,” Maggie laughs.

“He really does, though. Like, I know you’re making a joke, but… honestly, most of the time I don’t even know what he’s serving me,” Alex says. “I just eat it and it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Accurate.”

“Plus, it’s fun to make Kara jealous. I sent her a couple pictures from _Wong’s_ the other day and I swear I could _feel_ the heat vision.”

“Don’t torture your little sister,” Eliza chides.

“Me? _She’s_ the one who started it with the pictures of the sticky buns from _Noonan’s_!” Alex protests. “They’re almost as good as Maggie’s cinnamon rolls!”

“Prove it,” Maggie challenges.

“Next time we’re in National City, that’ll be our first stop,” Alex promises. “I’d ask Kara to bring some next time she comes to visit, but, well, we all know they’d never get here, no matter how hard she tried.”

Maggie snorts. “Yeah, pretty sure she wouldn’t be too broken up over it, Danvers.”

“Maggie’s not wrong,” Eliza laughs. “Kara would _not_ be trying very hard to get cinnamon rolls-”

“Sticky buns.”

“-across the country. That would be the opposite of her normal priority- putting them inside her face as fast as possible.”

“Maybe if Lena designed a lead-lined box to put them in, and had Kara bring them to us…” Alex muses.

“Alright, you’re getting in _way_ too deep here,” Maggie laughs, lifting their clasped hands and pressing a kiss to Alex’s faintly scarred knuckles. “We’ll have some next time we’re in NC and we won’t even need to torture your sister _or_ your boss to get them.”

“Well fine, if you wanna be boring about it,” Alex grouses.

They park (“$10 for parking on a _weeknight_? Fuckin’- sorry, Mom- ridiculous. I should’ve brought the Crown Vic.”) and just before they go in, Maggie and Alex both stop to do a few stretches and shake some of the tension from their muscles. Eliza watches in somewhat befuddled amusement.

“What on Earth are you two doing?”

They turn to look at each other. “Right, she’s never been here,” Maggie realizes.

“Mom, trust me, this is a requirement of eating at _Chiara_ ,” Alex finally says.

“Why?”

“Well, first because the portions are massive and delicious enough that you won’t wanna stop eating, and second because of Gio.”

“Kara’s old boss?”

“Yeah. He’s a little… odd. So like, prepare yourself.”

Eliza’s still confused when they walk in a few moments later. Alex walks up to the host stand with a smile. “Table for Danvers. Can you let Gio know we’re-“

“ _Carina!_ ”

“There he is!” Maggie grins, right before they’re all scooped into a huge, lift-you-off-the-ground-and-rearrange-your-ribcage hug. “Hey, G.”

“Where is my baby?”

“In National City, with her girlfriend,” Alex says with a grin. “Gio, can you put us down, we’re gonna break my mother.”

He sets them down carefully. “Girlfriend? Is it that girl she came here with? Beautiful, but sad?”

“Less sad, now,” Alex confirms, smiling softly.

“Ah, who wouldn’t be, with your sister? _Piccola sole_ , that one. And you are Mama?”

“I- yes.”

Gio reaches out and kisses the back of her hand. “You’ve made some lovely young women. Now come! We have a nice table for you, then wine, and then I will make you some food.”

They follow after him as he weaves his way expertly through the perpetually busy restaurant.

“Is he always so… exuberant?”

“Actually, this is him being mellow,” Maggie whispers back. “Usually he thumps one of us upside the head.”

She says this just in time for him to do it to her, lightly and full of affection. “You don’t stay away so long next time, yes?”

“There it is,” Maggie laughs. She gives him an equally affectionate love-tap on the arm. “You’ve got it, G.”

Satisfied, he nods and hustles away.

“Is… is he the waiter? Because we didn’t order anything,” Eliza says.

“Mom, I need you to just sorta roll with it,” Alex laughs. “He’ll bring us what we want. He always does. Even when I don’t know what I want, he brings it to me.”

“Does he?” Eliza looks intrigued. “Is he some sort of…”

“ _Visitor_? Probably, wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest, but he’s very much in the benevolent category, so I never really felt the urge to investigate,” Alex says.

“Really? _You_ slacked off in your job?” Eliza teases.

“It’s only slacking if anyone else knows about Gio, which they don’t- I don’t even think _Kara_ knows. Plus, his food is like… _really_ good.”

Eliza snorts, and a bottle of wine is opened and poured for them. After the first sip, Eliza is impressed. “This is delicious! I usually don’t drink reds, but-“

“Oh, Mom, are you ever in for a treat,” Maggie says, grinning a dimpled grin.

“What _was_ that?” Eliza asks, awed, as they waddle to the car.

“None of us know,” Alex laments. “I’ve never been allowed to get the same thing twice. It’d be awful if it wasn’t always exactly the thing I was craving.”

“Yeah, and he makes like, _weirdly_ good vegan food for an older Italian dude. Or alien. Whatever.” She shifts her to-go bag of dried pasta that Gio always saves for her to her other hand. “And I never have to ask; he always remembers.”

“How did he know? We didn’t even order anything?”

“Well, based upon a _lot_ of field testing, he’s not psychic,” Alex says thoughtfully, heaving herself into the car. “Or at least, not in the traditional ‘read your thoughts’ kinda way. I’ve tried thinking of things I absolutely hate before, trying to trick him into putting them in my food, and he never goes for it. I think maybe a scent thing? Smells imbalances, or something? I don’t know. Honestly, in this one instance, I’d be willing to say it’s magic.”

“I’d agree with that assessment, Dr. Danvers,” Eliza sighs, closing her eyes and settling comfortably into the back seat.

“Thank you, Dr. Danvers.”

“God, I’m marrying into a family of fuckin’ nerds,” Maggie laughs.

“You love us,” Alex informs her.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Alex leans over to press a kiss to Maggie’s cheek.

“What is it Maggie’s always saying?” Eliza muses from the back seat. Suddenly, she brightens. “Oh, right! Gaaaaaay!”

“ _Mom!_ ”

********

“Smallville! Where’s my tablet?”

“Which one?”

“The red one,” Lois calls, digging through piles of paper and photos stacked haphazardly on her desk.

“Uh, last I saw it was under the bed.”

“Why the fuck- y’know what, whatever. I don’t care, as long as I can find it before this goddamn deadline.” She hustles into their room and drops to her knees beside the bed, sighing in relief when she finds her gadget intact. “Thank god. I can only lose so many of these before Perry gets testy.”

“Why does he love you enough to buy you a dozen tablets at the drop of a hat, but he wants to skin me for drinking coffee too close to my laptop?” Clark asks, sticking his head into the room as he passes by.

She shrugs. “I’m cooler than you. Deal with it.”

He rolls his eyes fondly. “Anything else you need moved into the spare room before I go on patrol?”

Her brow furrows. “You’re on patrol _again_? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he sighs. “Your sister has everybody on high alert, but nobody knows why, and she won’t say. Very suspicious, but, y’know, she’s scary so I don’t really wanna know.”

“You think all women are scary,” Lois scoffs.

“You say I’m scared of all of you, but I counter that it is merely a very healthy respect. Because, well, to be fair, look at the women in my life- you, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has survived multiple assassination attempts. Alex, a former secret agent and genius who could figure out how to kill a man with bubble gum while her hands are tied behind her back. Maggie, detective, good with a gun. Ma, well, I’ve always been scared of Ma-”

“As all good sons should be,” Lois quips with a grin.

“True. Eliza is… she _raised_ Alex, that much scary doesn’t come from nowhere. And then Lucy, head of a secret black-ops government organization and your fellow Lane. Of course I’m scared. You’re all terrifying.”

“You forgot Kara,” Lois points out. “And Lena.”

“Oh, right, and Kara, my older-but-not-older cousin who can literally throw me halfway ‘round the Earth without breaking a sweat, and her girlfriend- the mad scientist billionaire.”

“I’d say genius before mad scientist,” Lois says with a grin.

“Po-tay-to, po-tah-to,” Clark deadpans.

“Aw, c’mon, you can admit that you like Little Luthor, I won’t tell anybody.”

His brow furrows. “Of course I like her. She’s smart and she has Kara’s back. And mine, actually. I’ve- do people think I don’t like her?”

Seeing that he’s actually a bit distressed at the idea, Lois tries to reassure him. “Hey, Smallville, no, I was just-”

But it’s too late. He’s already holding the cell phone to his ear, waiting as it rings.

 _“Kal? What’s up? You never call in the middle of the day.”_ She sounds a bit sleepy.

“Hey, Kara. You know I like Lena, right?”

A pause. _“I, uh, yes? I think? What’s going on?”_

“I just wanted you to know that I like her. That’s all. Love you!”

_“Uh…Yeah, love you too?”_

“Bye, Kara. See you soon!”

_“Bye, Kal.”_

He hangs up and grins at Lois, who’s watching him with fond amusement. “There, much better.”

“Oh, yeah, nailed it, babe. That wasn’t weird or confusing at _all_ ,” Lois snorts. “Hey, before you take off for some dashing heroics, put the desks in the spare room- it’ll be nice to have our office back, now that your cousin finally moved out.”

He smiles softly at her. “You miss her too, don’t you?”

“Fucking _obviously_. She’s my favorite Kryptonian,” Lois snarks. “And a very good roommate. And she helped balance out all this… dude stink you throw around.”

“And you love her and miss seeing her all the time,” Clark adds knowingly.

“Alright, shut up. Don’t make me feel my feelings- it’s a hate crime.”

He rolls his eyes. “A hate crime against who?”

“The emotionally maladjusted.”

He heaves a playful sigh. “Right, of course, my apologies. How will you ever forgive me?”

“Find out why my sister is getting all paranoid.”

“I’ll try, but like I said; she’s playing it pretty close to the vest with this whole thing.”

“Knowing Luce, it’s either a genius tactical move or she’s sending you on patrol at all fucking hours to fuck up my sex life,” Lois grumbles. “I wanna know which I have to be pissed about.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Clark laughs, pulling her into a lingering kiss and smiling against her lips.

“Good. Now, shoo. Up, up, and away with you.”

He blurs out of sight and back faster than she can blink, now clothed in his familiar blue and red suit. “I’ll probably be late, so don’t wait up.”

The look she gives him is thoroughly unimpressed. “Smallville, have I ever _not_ waited up for you?”

He sighs. “No.”

“Do you think I’m gonna start now?”

“No.”

“Great. Now go do your damn patrol and then come home so I can go the fuck to sleep.”

“You got it.”

He kisses her again before flying out the window, the broad arc of his path silhouetting him against the sunset . She watches him go fondly, repeating the same thing she does every time he puts on the suit;

“I love you. Be safe.”

********

“Who was that?” Lena asks sleepily.

Kara’s brow is furrowed. “Kal. He literally just called to let me know that he likes you, and then he hung up.”

“That’s… odd. Nice, but odd.”

“I know; he never calls during the day. Usually just texts until he gets home, but I guess it _is_ Saturday…” Kara shrugs helplessly before settling back down on the couch in Lena’s living room. “Who knows? He’s a weirdo.”

Lena chuckles, curling back around Kara. “You come from a family of those.”

Kara turns her head to look at Lena. “You’re one to talk,” she deadpans.

Lena pauses for a moment. “You make a very solid argument. Remind me again why you don’t want to be a lawyer?”

“Because the law isn’t always what’s right. And I wouldn’t wanna defend bad guys, ever. _And_ every time I get into an argument, I cry, which, y’know, is not ideal for someone who argues for a living.”

“All true, all adorable.” Lena kisses Kara’s shoulder where her baggy t-shirt exposes warm skin, and then her eyes drift closed.

“Still sleepy?”

“No. Just resting my eyes.”

“Right. I believe you,” Kara chuckles.

Lena frowns at her, though there’s no real feeling behind it, what with her eyes still stubbornly closed. “Shush. Not all of us get charged under the sun.”

“Well good,” Kara says, taking the hand Lena’s got tangled up in the stomach of her shirt and lacing their fingers together. “Because if you did, I wouldn’t have an excuse to nap with you, and that’s one of my favorite things.”

“You’re very mushy,” Lena mumbles, words belying the smile Kara can feel tugging at her mouth.

“You like me anyways.”

“I like you _because_ ,” Lena corrects, and then she’s out again, breathing deeply against the nape of Kara’s neck.

Kara takes this as her cue and promptly falls back to sleep, all thought of her weird family and uncertain future put on a back burner for the moment.

After all, who needs to think about all that when she has _this_?

********

The Skype ringtone catches Lois’ attention, and when she sees who’s calling a grin breaks across her face.

“Hey, Luce.”

Lucy huffs. _“Hey.”_

“What’s the occasion?”

 _“Do I need one?”_ Lucy challenges.

Lois, used to her sister’s bite wherever she’s concerned, is unruffled. “No, but there usually _is_ one. What’s up?”

Lucy sighs. _“Sorry, long few weeks. I can’t say what, but there’s something… weird in our readings.”_

Lois is instantly on alert. “Weird how?”

_“I dunno, just… it’s weird. Deep space scans are picking up on something big headed this way. And Kara’s pod lit up a couple weeks ago. Like, the same day she mentioned she had a feeling something bad was about to happen.”_

“Well that’s probably not a good sign,” Lois agrees, worrying at her lip. “Maybe see if Kara knows how to work the thing? She was on Krypton longer than Kal.”

 _“I’ve thought about it, but I can’t, unless she’s a contractor. It’s a national security thing, and, technically speaking, Kara’s not even a US_ citizen _.”_

Lois snorts. “Funniest damn thing- the two people I know most representative of the fucking American ideal, and they’re not only _illegal_ aliens but _literal_ goddamn aliens.”

 _“No shit,”_ Lucy chuckles.

Lois takes a moment to study her younger sister- short curly hair a bit more disheveled, bruises under her eyes more prominent, all testaments to a lack of sleep. “You doin’ okay, Goose?”

Lucy rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling so Lois takes it as a win. _“I’m fine, just tired. Like I said, it’s been a long few weeks.”_ She runs a hand through her hair, making a face when her fingers catch in a knot and quickly untangling it as best she can.

“Seems like forever since we were at Eliza’s, huh?”

_“It really does. February is a bitch.”_

Lois hums her agreement. “Well, Clark and I will be in town next month, or at least that’s the plan; that’s when Lena’s supposed to do the interview with me.”

_“We’ll have to grab dinner or something. Y’know, so our boyfriends can have a romantic evening together.”_

Lois laughs. “They have the strongest bromance of anyone I’ve ever met.”

 _“You have clearly not spent enough time with Lena and Winn,”_ Lucy says drily.

“Oh, I could absolutely see that,” Lois concedes with a laugh. “Nerds with tragic family back-stories; match made in heaven.”

_“You don’t know the half of it.”_

“So what exactly are we doing this weekend? All I know about is my part, and Kara won’t tell me anything.”

 _“That’s because she doesn’t_ know _anything; Kara sucks at secrets, I’m not a moron.”_

“Debatable.”

_“Harsh. So no. Just pack the stuff I told you to, and you’ll be golden.”_

Lois huffs at her, though a smile is tugging at her mouth. “You know you’re driving Alex insane, not giving her any details, right?”

_“Am I? Huhh.”_

“You’re a little shit,” Lois informs her sister with a laugh. “Fine, I’ll stop asking.”

 _“You’ll find out in like, two days, Lo. Just pretend to be patient.”_ Something bleeps off-screen, and Lucy looks over at it, eyes narrowed _. “Hey, I’ve gotta go, there’s been a development.”_

“Gotcha. Go get ‘em, Goose.”

Lucy rolls her eyes again, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. _“I’m not five, Lois.”_

“Sure.”

Lucy reaches for the screen before hesitating. _“I wasn’t- I wasn’t bugging you, right? By calling?”_

Lois’ heart clenches, and just for a moment, she sees Lucy at seven years old, sneaking into Lois’ room to hang out with her big sister and being promptly thrown out on her ass so seventeen-year old Lois could talk to her boyfriend on the phone in private. _‘Stupid, stupid, stupid…’_ “No, ‘course not. I would’ve told you if I was busy.”

Lucy sighs, relieved _. “Good. Maybe… maybe I’ll call you again next week? I mean, after we all get back, and everything.”_

Lois fights the smile threatening to split her face. “Yeah, that’d be fine, Luce. You can call whenever, and it’s fine.”

_“Alright. Well, I’ve gotta save the world, or something.”_

“Bye.”

_“I- yeah, bye.”_

The call disconnects.

“Was that Lucy?” Clark asks, walking into the living room.

“Yeah.”

“What’d she need?”

“I- I actually don’t think she needed anything. She vented about work a little, but… I think she was just calling to talk,” Lois says, surprised. Lucy never calls to talk. Lucy, in fact, dodges Lois’ calls 99% of the time. And when she does answer, it’s all business. This… this was a first in a long, _long_ time.

Clark smiles gently and presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Good.” He moves off into their kitchen, riffling through the cupboards to find the pan he needs to start dinner. “Stir fry okay?”

“Sounds great,” Lois calls.

The clanging of pans and the dull _thud_ of the refrigerator door are all she gets in response.

She rests her hand on her sister’s caller icon (a goofy candid of her that James had snapped years ago, and still Lois’ favorite) and smiles. “I love you. Be safe.”

********

Lucy disconnects the call and blows out a slow, steady breath.

“How’d it go?” Jimmy asks, his large frame filling the doorway.

She stands and walks over to him, grateful when he immediately tucks her close to his chest. Her arms wrap around his waist, and she squeezes as hard as she can. “It was okay,” she says after several minutes, voice muffled by his chest.

“No fights?” he jokes, scratching his fingers lightly against her scalp, slowly drawing the tension from her.

She snuggles deeper into his embrace, absorbing all of the warmth and steadiness he sends off so effortlessly. “No, I just… it was like, harder than I expected. And it was really fucking easy at the same time, y’know?”

He hums thoughtfully, the sound vibrating deep in his chest against her ear. “I don’t know, but I can guess,” he says softly. “That was a good thing you did. I know you and Lois are… complicated. But you trying to reach out is a good thing. How’d she react?”

Lucy huffs. “She was thrilled. Really happy to talk to me. And she was being, like, careful. I could tell she thought I was gonna change my mind and hang up any second.”

“And that’s… bad?”

“It didn’t make me feel all that great,” she admits. “It’s why I hung up when my phone rang. Which… I guess I proved her right, huh? Dammit. Also, our pizzas are ready.”

“Sorry.”

“No it’s… I know it’s sorta my fault, at least the last couple years. I just didn’t really love the reminder that we’re so fuckin’… dysfunctional.”

“I get that. But keep trying. I know you miss her, even though you’ll never admit it.” Jimmy squeezes her tight before releasing her. “Everyone’s family is dysfunctional, Luce. Look at Winn. Kara and Clark for, like most of Kara’s life, or- hell, all you need to look at is Lena’s family. She’s the poster child for messed up families. All families are complicated.”

“Not yours,” she says stubbornly.

“Oh, they are, they just hide it better,” he assures her with a laugh. “But keep trying. I know she misses you. She used to talk about you all the time, how proud of you she is.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It was honestly annoying.”

“Then, why-”

“We put up walls,” he says gently, “when we think we’re gonna get hurt. You and Lois especially.”

She huffs again. “I hate that you’re all… steady and logical.”

“No you don’t.”

“No I don’t,” she agrees. She stretches up on tiptoe to kiss him. “Thanks, Jimmy.”

“No need. It’s what I’m here for.”

“Wanna go get those pizzas and head to Kara’s?”

“Absolutely,” he says with a smile. He raises his arm slightly, and she slips under it without thought, fitting easily against his side. “Did you grab the movies?”

“Shit, hang on.” She dashes off, emerging from their room a few moments later with a stack of DVDs. “Got ‘em. Let’s go.” He puts his arm across her shoulders again, and they amble out the door. “Do you think Winn is gonna remember some normal beer this time, or does he always still drink like a hipster frat boy?”

“I guess we’ll have to find out.”

“That means no,” she groans.

His chuckle reverberates through the apartment as he closes the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up:  
> A bachelorette party planned by Lucy!  
> Drunken antics!  
> General shenaniganery!  
> Disguises!  
> Maggie being Maggie!  
> Lucy being an agent of chaos!  
> ...  
> Eliza was probably right to sit this one out...


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey babe, I’m home!”

From somewhere deeper in the apartment comes a  _ thump _ , and, “Hey! You’re home early!”

“Yeah, we wrapped the case faster than we thought we were gonna, and- where are you? I can, like, barely hear you,” Maggie calls, kicking the door closed behind herself and hopping on one foot as she struggles to remove her boots.

“Bedroom!”

“Are you finally moving your ass on packing for this trip?”

“Uh… sorta…”

Maggie huffs fondly, opening the door to their refrigerator and quickly scouring its contents. “So that’s a no, then?”

“Kinda.”

“I’ll be in in a sec. Hey, do you wanna just get a bunch of takeout and eat leftovers for a couple days? Because I don’t see the point in going to the store to get food right before we leave for 5 days, y’know? Plus, I’m  _ really  _ not wanting to deal with a bunch of dishes.”

“Yeah, sounds good!”

Maggie’s eyes narrow as she straightens up. Alex is being far too agreeable for it being so early in the day (and for Maggie to still be fully clothed). When she reaches their bedroom door, she finds it locked tight. “Alex.”

“Yes?”

“Why am I locked out?”

Now that she’s closer, Maggie can hear muffled scraping and cursing behind the door. “Oh, uh, one sec!” There’s a loud  _ thud _ , followed immediately by an  _ “Ow shit!” _

“What are you doing in there?”

“Nothing!”

“Jesus Christ,” Maggie mutters, fishing her lockpick kit from her pocket and picking the lock on the door. It swings open to reveal a blanket-wrapped Alex looking up at her guiltily from where she’s evidently fallen off the bed, and Maggie crosses to her quickly, checking her over for any obvious damage. “What did you  _ do _ ?!” she chides, prodding gently at a bruise forming on Alex’s forehead.

Alex winces. “Um-”

“Wait, what’s all over the floor?”

“That’s no-”

Maggie grabs a sheet of paper, eyes narrowing and then widening in rapid succession. “Is this our  _ demon binder _ ?”

And indeed, it appears that the entire, meticulously organized contents of their massive wedding binder are scattered haphazardly across the room. Which is rather odd, as the entire beast had been safely tucked away when Maggie had left for work this morning.

“Babe, what did you  _ do _ ?” Maggie asks, a sharp bark of surprised laughter undercutting any serious intent.

Alex flushes. “So, I may have freaked out.”

Maggie looks around, taking in the fact that with the exception of a few sloppy, hastily-constructed piles, every flat surface in their bedroom is covered with papers- lists, charts, schedules, photos… months of research and trial and error. Everywhere. “I can see that,” Maggie says, throwing Alex a teasing grin. “Care to explain?”

If possible Alex goes even more red in the face. “So, I was taking a nap, and all of a sudden, I woke up in a cold sweat, convinced I forgot something for the wedding. Like  _ convinced _ .”

“Like what?”

“That’s the kicker- I had  _ no idea _ . So I started going down the list of stuff, but I was already freaked out, so it just seemed  _ super _ overwhelming, so I started, like, crossing stuff off the big list. But that wasn’t satisfying enough, so ripping them out seemed better. And then I went through  _ all _ the vendors and called everyone to make sure we were still good. And then I went in to check their financials, to make sure they weren’t gonna like, shut down without warning-”

“You did  _ what _ ?”

“-but they’re all in good shape, so then I was worried that it was the dress, so I needed to try it on again, to make sure they didn’t give me the wrong one.”

“Right, makes sense,” Maggie mutters, eyes wide as she surveys the tree graveyard that had once been their bedroom. “Only logical thing to do.”

“Yeah, so, then I was up on the bed, trying to read all the stuff, and you got home early, and I was still in the dress, so I tried to get under the blankets so you couldn’t see it, but I sorta, uh, did a header off the bed.”

“Right, wouldn’t want me to see you in the dress, that’d be bad luck,” Maggie snarks, returning her attention to Alex’s head and fixing her with a stern look. 

Alex sighs, flopping onto the floor. “Okay, now that you made me explain myself I feel stupid.”

“Huh. Imagine that.”

“Be nice to me, I might be concussed,” Alex whines, giving Maggie her best sad eyes.

“Oh my god, no. No being cute when I’m annoyed with you for damaging my future wife’s brain.”

“Aw.”

“Aw nothing. Look, one of us has to be the brains of this operation, and I’ll be damned if I have to do it because you broke your genius brain. I fully intend to enjoy life as a fucking idiot, and I refuse to let you ruin that for me, Danvers. So get your shit together.”

Alex is laughing so hard tears are streaming down her face. “God, fuck, okay. Sorry for being dumb.”

“Look, you can be dumb all you want, just give me a heads up so I can get you a helmet and dust off my brain cells. They need a little time to boot up.”

“Makes sense, since you use them approximately never,” Alex snarks.

“As god intended,” Maggie agrees, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You wanna get off the floor and help me clean this up, or you wanna lay here for a minute?”

“Well, I’m still in the dress, so I can’t get up while you’re in here.”

Maggie groans. “Babe, come  _ on _ , this is the world’s  _ dumbest _ tradition. What does it matter if I see your dress?”

“It’s-”

“Yeah, yeah, bad luck, blah blah,” Maggie grumbles, clambering to her feet. Seeing that Alex clearly has no intention of moving while she’s within sight, Maggie rolls her eyes. “Fine, whatever. I’m gonna go order a bunch of stuff you hate, just to be petty.”

“No you won’t.”

“Yeah, I won’t, but you could at least pretend, for the sake of my dignity. God, it’s like you don’t even love me.”

“Get out.”

“Yes ma’am.” Maggie troops dutifully over to the bedroom door before pausing.

Alex rolls her eyes affectionately. “Yes?”

“I- this isn’t something I should worry about, is it?”

Alex's brow furrows. “Is what something to worry about?”

“ _ This _ ,” Maggie says, gesturing at the chaos around them. “This freaking out? It’s like, normal wedding weirdness, not like, ‘oh god I’ve made a horrible decision and I don’t know what to do’ weirdness?”

Alex blinks up at her. “I mean, I still think you’re insane for saddling yourself to the circus that is my family, but otherwise, no.”

“Okay. Because if- if you wanted to postpone, I… we can do that. I know a lot’s happening, and I haven’t been helping as much the last couple months as I was before, and I just-”

Alex moves to get up before catching herself. “Shut your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Oh my god, shut your eyes so I can come give you a hug before  _ you  _ freak out!” Alex laughs.

Maggie covers her eyes obediently, and after studying her face closely, Alex eases out from under the blankets and carefully- so,  _ so _ carefully- unzips the dress and lets it drop to the floor before draping it across the bed. She crosses to Maggie who has one hand clapped over her eyes and the other arms extended wide to accept a hug. “You’re the cutest person ever,” Alex informs her, wrapping her up in a warm embrace and kissing the top of her head. “And I adore you.”

“I’m not cute,” Maggie argues, one hand pushing back against Alex’s bear hug while the other remains over her face. “I’m a badass, and I’m a loose cannon, and- are you naked?”

“Kinda sorta.”

Maggie peeks through her fingers and brightens considerably. “You really take cheering me up seriously, and I appreciate that.”

Alex snorts. “I’ve noticed- hand check, Sawyer.”

“I’m very happy with where my hands are, thank you.”

Alex rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you are. But look, I’ve wanted to marry you since… god, I can’t really remember ever  _ not _ wanting to marry you.” At Maggie’s skeptical look, Alex tips her head to make sure their eyes meet. “I always wanted to find someone who could make me laugh like you do, and someone who didn’t make me feel small. I wanted someone who didn’t mind that I’m the world’s worst cook, and that my kid sister is always hanging around, and someone clever and strong.

“But you’re so much more than that, because I wanted all those things, but what I  _ got _ is someone who’s kind, and honest, and self-aware, and disciplined. I got someone who’s driven, but is still so compassionate and  _ good _ . I always wanted to marry you, Maggie; I just didn’t know it yet. Okay?”

Maggie barks out a wet laugh. “God, you had that ace up your sleeve and you let  _ me _ propose?”

“I know, right?” Alex chuckles. “I had a whole thing planned. You beat me to it by like, three days.”

Maggie groans a laugh, swiping under her eyes. “Oh, god, sorry. I bet it was awesome, too. All you got was a picnic and, y’know, terrorism.”

“It was memorable, I’ll give you that,” Alex agrees, unable to resist dropping another kiss to Maggie’s cheek. “ _ But _ , what I mean is, I have never been as sure about anything as I am about marrying you, Maggie Sawyer.”

“Well, shit,” Maggie laughs. “I always forget that LD comes by the inspiring speech thing honestly until you drop one on me.”

“Backatcha,” Alex says with a wink. “You’ve hit me with a few good ones.”

“I try,” Maggie demurs, grinning when Alex scoffs at her. “I’m enjoying the naked thing, a lot, so put away the dress, I’ll order dinner, and then we can clean this room up.”

“Way to kill a mood,” Alex grumbles playfully.

Maggie cocks an eyebrow at her. “Babe, you oughta know by now it’s way more fun to mess up a clean room.”

Alex gives her a lascivious grin. “I like the way you think Sawyer.”

“Probably why you wanna get gay married to me,” Magie muses.

“Can’t wait,” Alex confirms, drawing Maggie into a slow, heated kiss.

***

“C’mon, just tell me.”

_ “No.” _

“I won’t tell Maggie anything,  _ she  _ can still be surprised-”

_ “Nope.” _

“I’ll give you $5.”

_ “Ooo, a whole $5…”  _ Lucy muses.  _ “Nah, sorry.” _

“Lucy, c’mon, you know I hate surprises!”

_ “Hey! _ ” Kara yells in the background, followed by gales of laughter.

_ “Dude, I’m not gonna tell you anything. Accept it and move on.” _

“Then I’ll get Kara to tell me.”

Lucy snorts.  _ “Like I’m gonna tell her anything? Please.” _

Alex groans, throwing a pair of jeans at her suitcase. “Just… why is the list so weird? It’d be better if the list was normal.”

_ “No idea what you mean.” _

“I mean I have to pack a parka, a wetsuit, a, and I quote, ‘slinky dress’, our paintball masks, my  _ surfboard _ \- which, by the way, is  _ not _ easy to transport in Delaware in  _ February _ -”

_ “God, you’re whiney.” _

“Y’know what, Lane-”

_ “Kidding! God! Okay, we’ll be there in a few hours, we have… a layover.” _

Alex’s eyes narrow. “Where?”

_ “Oh, you-… breaki-... up… kssssch…” _

“I know you’re making that noise with your mouth!” Alex yells, only to be met with dead air, Lucy clearly already having hung up. Alex groans and pockets her phone. “The fact that I can’t snap my phone shut to hang up on someone is really disappointing.”

“Agreed,” Maggie says, walking in with several random items in her arms. “Any hints?”

“None,” Alex sighs. “All I know is they have a layover…  _ somewhere _ . Oh, and Kara is there.”

“Was that in doubt?” Maggie laughs.

Alex levels her with a look. “This is  _ Lucy _ .”

“Yeah, good point.” Seeing that Alex is still clearly irritated, she walks over and wraps her arms around her waist. “Hey, you know this is gonna be fun, right?”

“I know it’s supposed to be fun, but-”

“No, no. Look, Lucy’s… a  _ lot _ , but you and I both know she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She knows both of us better than basically anyone, and I’d bet good money that she put a lot of work into this, to make sure it’ll be super awesome. And so we’re gonna go on this… mystery adventure that may or may not be in another country, and we’re gonna make Lucy pay all the baggage fees. Okay?”

Alex sighs, shoulders relaxing a bit. “You’re right.”

“I know,” Maggie agrees. “Look, I know you hate not being prepared for stuff, as we were both reminded earlier this week when you papered our bedroom.  _ But _ , if you could be a good sport about this, I know it’ll pay off.”

“Oh yeah? Is that a guarantee?”

Maggie smirks, hands shifting and sliding down the back of Alex’s joggers. She grins against Alex’s neck as she gives a firm squeeze. “It’s a promise,” she husks, lips dragging over skin. “And I always,” a kiss to Alex’s neck, “ _ always, _ ” a nip to her collarbone, “keep my promises.” She emphasizes this with another squeeze.

Alex swallows harshly. “Okay. I can, um… I can do that.”

“Good girl. Now pack your shit,” She says, removing her hands and slapping Alex on the butt with a wink.

Alex groans, shoving playfully at Maggie. “You fucking  _ tease _ .”

“Did my motivation tactics work?”

“I mean, I’m hornier now,” Alex grouses.

“Was that not the goal?” Maggie asks, feigning confusion.

_ “No.” _

“Whoops. Sorry, babe.” She is clearly not sorry.

“I hate you so much.”

“Aw, I was just trying to get my bottom in gear...”

Alex barks out a laugh, mouth dropping open in shock. “You did  _ not _ just make that joke, Sawyer.”

“Is it technically a joke if it’s  _ true _ ?” Maggie asks with a grin.

Alex lunges and tackles her to the bed, eliciting a loud shriek that she knows won’t endear them to their neighbors. “You are such a little shit!” she yells, emphasizing each word by whacking Maggie with a pillow.

Maggie retaliates by digging her fingers into Alex’s sides, making her crumple like paper as she tries to fend off the counterattack. She manages to roll Alex onto her back, straddling her hips and tickling her mercilessly. “Surrender!”

_ “Never!” _

They each manage to flip each other a fair few times, eventually stopping when their laughter makes it impossible to keep up the ‘fight’.

“Truce?” Maggie pants.

“Truce,” Alex laughs. She turns her head to smile over at Maggie. “Thanks. Apparently I needed that.”

“You feeling a little better now? Not ready to strangle my Maid of Honor?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m always ready to strangle Lucy-”

“Fair.”

“But I’m sorry. I know I’m being… difficult about this whole thing.”

“Maybe a  _ little _ ,” Maggie says, squinting and holding her thumb and forefinger close together.

“Sorry, I just don’t love…  _ this.  _ Like, I’d be cool with just hanging out with everyone for a few days in a cabin or something. I don’t see why it’s a big deal. We’re already, like, basically married. I’d rather just do stuff we like and be with our friends. I don’t see why it has to be a surprise, y’know?”

Maggie shrugs, not really disagreeing. “I get it.  _ But _ , it’s a good excuse to see everyone and have a good time. And I think Lucy probably wants it to be a surprise because she knows it’ll make you a little nuts- because that’s who she is as a person, and we knew that going in.” 

“Good point.”

“But it’s gonna be fun, okay? Just going off my…  _ very _ weird list of stuff to pack, we’re at least not gonna be bored.”

This piques Alex’s interest. “Wait, you got a list too? Like, a different list than me?”

“Yeah, hang on, it’s pocke- aha! Okay, so I’m supposed to bring my handcuffs- which, duh, those were coming regardless-”

_ “Maggie.” _

“-our paintball guns, hiking boots… a lot of it was sorta random, but the  _ weirdest _ thing was two jumpsuits from the DoC. Oh, and road flares.”

Alex opens her mouth, only to close it and pinch the bridge of her nose. “So, am I the only one getting the feeling that we’re gonna get arrested this weekend?”

Maggie laughs, drawing a smile out of Alex. “Uh, yeah, same. But look, I’m sure it’s fine. Luce is probably just fucking with us. I bet you anything it’s gonna be pretty low-key.”

*30,000 feet above the US*

_ “Why are there so many?! No one needs that many!” _

_ “Do you wanna do this or not?” _

_ “Well-” _

_ “Exactly! Now help me put them back in the boxes!” _

*Metropolis*

“You’re probably right,” Alex admits.

“I know. Okay, so, game plan- we get your shit packed, we have sex, we eat dinner, we have  _ more _ sex, and then we wait for the Uber she ordered for us.”

Alex strokes her chin thoughtfully. “I find that plan amenable.”

Maggie makes a show of fist-pumping and loudly whispering,  _ “Yes.” _

Alex snorts and throws a t-shirt at her. “Make yourself useful and help me pack.”

“Sure thing. What do you still need, babe?”

“Socks, bras, underwear… oh, and my bikini.”

Maggie grins, waggling her eyebrows at her. “Oo, bikini. Which half?”

_ “Both. Both halves.” _

Maggie groans. “Killjoy.”

Their plan goes off mostly without a hitch- they end up forgetting about dinner, though neither is particularly upset about eating cereal in the kitchen while they wait for their ride, giggling and letting their hands wander a bit more than is maybe exactly a good idea. Still, they're mostly clothed and Alex is in  _ considerably _ better spirits when they buzz the driver up to help them with their stuff.

Michael is a pleasant older guy, quiet and more than willing to play sherpa, even though it’s-

“Three am smells weird,” Alex decides. “Like, regret. And drunk texting.”

“What’s that smell like?” Maggie laughs.

“Cold air, car exhaust, and Jagerbombs.”

“Eugh.”

“Exactly.”

“Are we all set, ladies?” Michael asks, leading them over to-

“Did she seriously order a limo?” Maggie laughs, hiking her duffel bag higher on her shoulder.

“Evidently,” Alex mutters, following reluctantly. She hates this already.

“Hey, Michael, we’re going to the airport, right?” Maggie calls after a few minutes, confusion in her voice.

“We are,” he confirms.

“Cool. You know that Met International is  _ that _ way, right?” Maggie asks, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

“I am, Miss Sawyer. Your flight is leaving from a different airport.”

“Cool, cool. So-”

“I was informed by Major Lane that I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“Oh, yeah, babe. This whole thing isn’t fucking ominous at all,” Alex murmurs.

“Major Lane is an impressive young woman,” Michael muses. “She reminds me of my employer.”

“She reminds you of… Uber?” Maggie asks slowly.

Michael chuckles. “No, she reminds me of Miss Luthor.”

Alex snorts. “Of course this is Lena’s limo. In that case, I’m opening this champagne.” She reaches for the bottle on ice in front of them- one neither of them would ever be able to afford- and twists off the wire before wrestling with the cork.

“Yes, please do! Anything back there is yours for the taking- it’s going to be a little while before we reach our destination.”

The champagne opens with a loud  _ pop! _ , and they pour themselves generous glasses, toasting their  _ very _ weird friends. They decide to root through the fridge and miniature shelves in the back and are delighted to find a lot of their favorite snacks- including Maggie’s very hard to find vegan cheez-it things.

“You know we have to make them get married, right?” Maggie says casually.

“Who?” Alex asks around a mouthful of strawberries.

“LD and Little Luthor.” 

Alex starts to choke, dribbling champagne down her shirt.  _ “What?!”  _ she splutters. “They’ve known each other for like, three months!”

Maggie shrugs helplessly. “Sorry, babe. I’m becoming accustomed to a certain lifestyle.”

In the front seat, Michael laughs.

“No.  _ Way _ .”

“What? What’s no way?” Alex asks, peering around Maggie to see out the window. “What’d I miss?”

“You don’t know where we are?”

“No…?”

Maggie turns around, biting back laughter. “Okay, so, y’know how you said you wanted to be like, low-key?”

“Yeah…?” 

Maggie snorts. “This, um… this is not going to be that.”

“What do you me- uh.”

A truly massive white jet appears before them, standing alone on what is clearly a private airfield. The LuthorCorp logo is clearly visible on the tail, and Alex snorts through her shock.

Accustomed to a certain lifestyle indeed.

“Oh… my god,” Alex breathes. “Those  _ idiots _ .”

Maggie waits, barely, for Michael to stop the car before exiting with a whoop. “I’m already having fun!” she announces brightly, yelling a bit to be heard over the wind whipping across the airfield. She bounds over to the plane, looking comically small beside it.

Michael chuckles, offering Alex a hand to help her out of the car before bustling around, gathering their bags and various odd additions to their luggage. A swarm of people in reflective clothing drive up on a golf cart, chattering and laughing with him as they move their luggage to the plane.

She makes her way over to Maggie, her fianceé staring up at the plane in amazement. “This is… not what I was expecting.”

“Me either,” Maggie breathes. “Which was probably stupid on our part.”

“Really truly.”

The door at the front of the plane hisses open, and airstairs slowly descend to the ground.

Maggie and Alex catch each other’s gaze. “Yup. We’re gonna get arrested this weekend, for sure.”

Alex snorts, and they make their way up the stairs, entering a plane that’s completely dark. “Well, this keeps getting more and more promising,” she mutters. Hating herself preemptively for what she’s about to do, she hesitantly calls, “Hello?”

The lights switch up, and they’re met with cheering from… everyone.

Lucy, Kara, Lois, Lena, Vasquez, Jane, Maura, a few of Alex’s teammates from the DEO, even her and Kara's older cousin… seemingly all of their closest female friends are on board.

“Holy  _ shit _ !” Maggie yells, delighted, met with more cheers and laughter. 

“You should see your  _ face _ , Sawyer!” Jane yells.

“Shuddup, Rizzoli!”

Alex stares around, a bit shell-shocked, until her gaze lands on Lucy, who’s eyeing her anxiously. “Luce, this is...”

Lucy steps forward, wiping her hands on her jeans. “Okay?”

Alex pulls her forward into a crushing hug. “You’re  _ insane _ ,” she informs her, grinning when she feels Lucy laugh and relax a bit.

“That was never in question.”

Alex ruffles her hair affectionately before stepping into Kara’s open arms, letting her sister lift her up off her feet. 

“I missed you,” Kara informs her.

“I can tell!” Alex laughs. She spots Lena smiling shyly at her and taps her sister’s shoulder to be let down before scooping the young brunette into a much gentler hug than Lucy or Kara had gotten. “Hey, boss. Thanks for the lift.”

Lena snorts, hugging Alex back- still just a touch awkward, but leaning into Alex’s hug easily enough. “What, this old thing? Anytime.”

Alex moves on through the line, clapping Vasquez on the shoulder and hassling her about keeping secrets before sharing a warm handshake with Jane- one of Kara and Maggie’s best friends from MPD- before being gently nudged aside so Maggie can attack them with a hug and some ribbing.

“Surprised you’re taking a weekend off, Rizzoli!”

Jane shrugs easily, arm dropping around Maura’s shoulders and smiling, “Maura thought it’d be fun.”

Maura smiles over at her. “It’s good to see you, Maggie.”

“Good to see you too, Doc. Oh, and this is Alex! I always forget we haven’t been able to get you guys in a room.”

Alex smiles, extending a hand. “Great to meet you, Doctor.”

“You as well, Doctor.”

“Well now I’m feeling self-conscious about not getting my doctorate,” Lena mutters, yelping when Kara pinches her side playfully.

“You and all your degrees need to hush,” Kara laughs. 

The customs officer comes and leaves, the takeoff is uneventful, and Lena offers to give Maggie and Alex a tour. Maggie follows Lena and Lucy along eagerly, listening intently to how fast this plane is and how Lena's managed to incorporate solar panels on the wings ("They require a larger wingspan to offset the weight, but this plane is, essentially, green. In a few more years, it'll be completely solar-powered."), and just generally getting into everything. Alex follows a few paces behind, side-by-side with Kara. Seeing the dopey look on her younger sister's face as they listen in on the technical specs, she elbows her lightly. "You've got it  _ bad _ , kiddo."

"I know. Isn't it great?" Kara agrees dreamily, catching Lena's eye and smiling with so much admiration it makes the young CEO blush.

" _ God _ ," Alex laughs. "Lucy said you guys were still moony for each other, but I didn't realize you were still  _ this _ gross."

Kara sticks her tongue out at her sister. "Like you and Maggie aren't? Please."

Alex opens her mouth to argue, but Maggie turns and mouths  _ 'Wow!' _ at her with a big smile and the point is moot. "Shut up, Kara."

Lena shows them up a  _ flight of stairs _ and points out the different bedrooms on the plane.

"Most people called dibs already, but you guys get the big room," Kara says with a grin. "It's usually  _ Miss Luthor's _ , but she's being nice."

Alex takes that at face-value and decidedly ignores the look Lena gives her sister. "Great! Now will you tell us where we're going?"

"Sure. But there's  _ one _ more big surprise."

At the new voice, Maggie whips around, mouth dropping open in shock. " _ Jamie _ ?!"

Her cousin grins. "Miss me?"

Maggie yells, seemingly incoherently, in Spanish before tackling her to the ground. Another girl, probably close to Lena's age, also steps out into the hallway, hands on her hips and clearly fighting a smile. "I  _ knew _ she was your favorite!"

_ "Zoe!" _

Zoe is  _ also  _ quickly tackled, though she manages to keep her footing better than her sister had. She laughs and pokes at Maggie's teary face, laughing more when Maggie points out that she is  _ also _ crying. 

Whatever. It's been 12 years since she saw her cousins in person- Maggie's totally allowed to cry about it.

Alex turns to Lucy, awed. "Luce, what-"

Lucy shrugs, a small smirk on her face. "We have a groupchat- all the bridesmaids, to help coordinate stuff and everything. And I kinda figured, y'know… they're on the way. So why not, right?"

Alex scoffs at her, pulling her into another rib-crushing hug. "You're kinda awesome, Lucy Lane."

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"Yes," Alex tells her seriously.

Lucy snorts. "Very offended."

"You'll get over it.  _ Thank you _ , for doing that for her. It's- thank you."

Lucy shrugs again. "'Course. That's my job."

"Babe! C'mere! I wanna introduce you!"

Alex slugs Lucy lightly in the arm before jogging over to Maggie and becoming engulfed in a hug. 

"How'd I do, Kar?" Lucy whispers, knowing her friend can hear her.

"Awesome," Kara assures her.

"That actually made me nostalgic for family," Lena says, bumping Lucy's shoulder with her own. At the incredulous looks this comment receives, she rolls her eyes "Obviously not  _ my _ family. Just, you know, the general concept of- shut up."

Kara snorts.

"Okay!" Lucy calls, "enough of this sappy shit, this is a  _ party _ !"

Eventually, though, the adrenaline starts to wear off and the booze kicks in and their bodies make their exhaustion known. Everyone drifts off to their various sleeping arrangements (though the fact that Lucy and Lois have decided to bunk together is  _ very _ concerning) and Maggie and Alex retreat to their designated cabin.

"Okay, this is  _ so _ much better than I thought my first ride on an airplane would be," Maggie sighs, stripping out of her clothes and flopping gracelessly onto the bed.

"I keep forgetting you've never been on a plane, Alex says, dropping beside Maggie and giggling a bit at the grumpy look she gets. "Sorry."

"Yeah. Helicopter, yes, done that. Flew with a Kryptonian- that was also cool. Never been on a plane though- always too expensive. They're pretty cool."

"Mm.  _ This one _ is cool. Most of them kinda suck," she says, snuggling right up to Maggie. An idea seems to pop into her head, and she fixes Maggie with a slow-spreading grin. "So," she muses, "you've never been on a plane."

"Correct."

"So does that mean, you never joined the Mile High Club?"

Maggie blinks at her in the dark. "Also correct. Are- is this revenge for teasing you earlier? Because if it is… good job, I'm  _ very _ sorry, please be serious."

"As a heart attack," Alex confirms, rolling them so Maggie's hovering over her on her elbows. 

Maggie snorts. "Are we  _ really _ gonna do this?"

"What's the matter, Sawyer? Cat got your- mmph!"

Alex stops talking much after that.

Lena stirs awake as Kara tosses and turns, folding a pillow around her head and groaning. "What's the matter?" she yawns, hand resting between Kara's shoulder blades. 

Kara huffs and rolls over to face her, face deeply pained and unhappy. "Take a wild guess."

It takes a moment for the pieces to click, but once they do, she claps a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Oh,  _ god _ …"

Kara whines, burying her face in Lena's chest. "I  _ hate _ them."

Lena snorts, reaching into her bag on the floor and pulling out a small box. "So, this was supposed to be a  _ fun _ surprise for us, but since you really seem to need it…" 

She fiddles with it for a moment before it hums and a warm red glow fills the room. Kara instantly relaxes in her arms, the red sun emitter knocking out her super powers- including her enhanced hearing. "Oh thank Rao." She lifts her face from Lena's chest. "You're so smart, I love you so much."

Lena chuckles, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "What're girlfriends for?" She snorts. "I can't believe they've been on this plane for less than three hours and they're already fucking."

_ "Ew!" _

"It's just rude!" Lena laughs as Kara hits her repeatedly with pillows. " _ I  _ haven't even had sex on my plane yet!"

Kara pauses. "Wait, really?"

"Who would I have had sex with?" Lena asks with a laugh. "Last time we were on it, we weren't having sex yet-"

"I remember," Kara grumbles. "Didn't stop you from getting my shirt off."

"-and  _ this _ time, we were trying to make sure everyone was comfortable and playing hostess the whole time."

"Right. And before?"

"Before what, before you? Oh, no. I was single for a while before we met, you know that."

"Well yeah, but like, if I had a private jet, I'd definitely use it to my advantage. Like, 'Oh, hey, you wanna go to Paris or wherever?  _ On a private jet _ ? That's a great pick-up."

Lena snorts. "Kara, you  _ are _ a private jet."

"...oh, right." She turns to Lena and waggles her eyebrows at her. "Hey, wanna go to Paris or wherever?"

"Mm, that line  _ does _ work," Lena breathes, catching her in a deep, searing kiss.

***

When the plane lands, the world outside is warm, lush, and very,  _ very _ green.

Alex squints off into the distance but still can't see anything recognizable. "Okay, enough- where the hell  _ are _ we?" 

Lucy grins, slipping sunglasses down onto her face and spreading her arms wide. "New Zealand!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, have some fluff in these trying times!
> 
> (Also, I just realized how much sex everyone has in this chapter... oh well!)


End file.
